


My Hazzy

by nannea



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Aisling is four in the beginning, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Nanny, Harry is a nanny, M/M, Niall is a dad, Single Parent Niall, Single Parents
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-15
Updated: 2015-08-28
Packaged: 2018-04-14 19:41:41
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 39,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4577406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/nannea/pseuds/nannea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Are you looking for a job?" She asks and he nods.</p>
<p>"What kind of job?" She asks again.</p>
<p>"Something full time," he immediately answers.</p>
<p>"Full time nanny maybe?" She then asks.</p>
<p>"Sure."</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Harry is a nanny looking for a job.<br/>Niall is a father looking for a nanny.</p>
<p>// Originally posted and completed on Wattpad</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

 

Harry sighs, looking at the gray and decayed building right in front of him. All he needs to do is cross the street and enter the building but suddenly, he isn't sure if he wants to.

He knows he has to. This building might be a key to his future and also, it is his last hope. Harry doesn't quite understand what he is so afraid of, it's not like he is about to enter a whorehouse. No, not even close, he is just going to a place where they help unemployed people to find jobs.

Harry is unemployed and very ashamed of it. When he dropped out of university he never thought finding a proper job would be so hard. He thinks maybe he is too picky, searching for a perfect job when in reality, he should be cleaning tables at some nasty restaurant. Without a college education Harry can't get his dream job and he knows it.

He sighs again, crossing the road and entering the building. He looks around, seeing a few people who look a bit like junkies. He also spots a few immigrants talking a foreign language he doesn't recognise. Harry starts feeling like he doesn't belong into this place.

He realises he has to go to the desk where a woman is sitting, doing something that looks awfully like manicuring her nails. Harry steps closer until he reaches the desk, tapping his fingers on the counter to get the woman's attention.

"Hello, welcome to the unemployed helping center," a woman says, sounding quite bored. Harry can't really blame her, he would be bored too if he was working in a place like this.

"Hello," Harry quickly replies.

"How can I help you?" The woman asks, seeming more interested in her nails than actually helping Harry with anything.

"Well I need a job," Harry says, thinking the reason why he is here is quite obvious.

"What kind of job would you be interested in?" The woman ask, still not paying attention to Harry.

"Well, I was thinking something to do with kids. Like working at a kindergarten," Harry tries his luck, knowing there is no way he could ever get a job like that without an education.

"You're in a wrong place. Go to this place," the woman says, handing a small card to Harry.

"Thank you," Harry greets without giving a single look at the card he is holding.

 

He only looks at it when he is standing outside the helping center. Nannies & babysitters community, it says with huge pink letters. Harry knits his brows, looking at the card and trying to think if it is suppose to be some sort of joke.

However, he checks the address and realises the place is located just down the street. He starts thinking about it, if he could be a nanny. He has never really thought about it, being a full time nanny that is, but the more he thinks about it the more he realises he could do it.

Harry likes kids. He always has. When he was still at university, he studied to become a kindergarten teacher. He has always been great around kids, when he was younger he used to babysit his neighbour's kids all the time. He thinks if it is possible to have a job as a full-time nanny, a part time job won't be enough because he needs more money. He needs money so that he can go back to university and finish his studies.

Harry starts walking down the street, trying to spot for the right place to go. When he finally sees the office, he sighs in relief before stepping inside.

"Good morning," a woman greets him with a genuine smile on her face.

"Morning," Harry says, instantly feeling a bit better now that he has had a warm welcoming. The other place was absolutely horrible and Harry thinks he never wants to go there again.

"Are you looking for a job?" The woman asks and Harry nods.

"What kind of job?" She asks again.

"Something full time," Harry immediately answers.

"Full time nanny maybe?" The woman asks.

"Sure."

"Okay well, do you know how system works?" Harry shakes his head because no, he has no idea how the 'system' works.

"Alright, first we'll interview you and do a background check. Once that is done, we'll search a job for you. There are many families looking for babysitters and nannies so I'm sure we'll find a good place for you. Everything runs through us, and we'll take a small credit for that."

"A small credit?" Harry asks.

"Yes, a third from your first month's paycheck," she clarifies.

"Sounds reasonable," Harry nods.

"Shall I interview you then? We can fill out your application so it helps us to find you a job," the woman says and Harry nods.

"Please follow me," she stands up and Harry obeys, walking to another room and sitting down. The woman pulls out a form, starting to ask some basic questions and Harry answers to all of them.

She then explains a bit more, telling they have to run a background check before they can offer Harry to any family. She explains how the families will personally interview Harry. Harry nods, he keeps nodding at everything until his head is starting to hurt.

"The background check will be ready in a few days and someone will call you once we set up an interview for you," the woman says and Harry nods for the last time.

"Thank you," he says, quickly shaking the woman's hand.

"No problem. Have a nice day!"

"Thanks, you too," Harry politely says before exiting the building.

He starts walking back to his car, silently cursing himself for leaving his car so far away. The weather is cold, it's the beginning of November so no wonder it's freezing outside.

Harry thinks how badly he needs a job and hopes the nanny company will find him a job soon. He hopes they won't make him go to some horrible place, like a family with six children. Harry knows he can't handle something like that.

He wonders if it's even possible to be a full time nanny these days. Everyone puts their kids to kindergarten or some place similar and nannies aren't that common anymore. There are always people in a need of a babysitter but Harry knows he needs a full time job, not occasional babysitting jobs. He can't make enough money with those.

 

"How did the job hunt go?" Liam, his roommate asks once Harry gets back home.

"It was alright, I think I'm becoming a nanny," he says and Liam bursts out a laugh.

"You? A nanny?"

"Excuse me Liam, remember what I used to study," Harry reminds his roommate.

"Yes but a nanny Haz," Liam laughs again.

"Fine, you laugh. It's better than your boyfriend's job."

"I don't have a boyfriend," Liam protests.

"Well whatever he is," Harry huffs.

"Why are you so cranky?" Liam asks.

"Am not."

"Yes, you are. You need to get laid," Liam says as if he is wondering out loud.

"I need to get into my bedroom," Harry groans and quickly escapes the room, thinking his roommate is finally losing his mind.

 

 

It isn't until the next week when Harry gets a phone call from the nanny company. A woman explains how they have found three good options for Harry and then starts telling more about those three options. The first family has two children, age 2 and 3 and they are looking for a full-time nanny until they find a kindergarten place. Harry already thinks that isn't a very good option for him.

The next option is a family with four children, needing a part-time nanny. Now Harry quickly says it isn't for him, and the woman on the phone tells about the third option. Family with one child, a four year old girl, looking for a nanny until next autumn.

"That one sounds good," Harry says.

"Alright, we'll set up an interview. I'll get back to you with the details."

Harry starts feeling excited, he is actually going to have a job interview. He knows it doesn't mean anything, it only means he has a chance of being hired. But he is still excited because this is the closest he has got to a job in almost six weeks.

The next day, he gets a call and details about the interview. The interview is in two days, so on Thursday. Apparently the parent can't get anyone to look after the child so Harry has to go to their home instead of meeting the parent somewhere else. He doesn't mind, thinking maybe it's better to go to their home in case he manages to get the job.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First proper chapter!

 

On Thursday, Harry is driving towards the family's house. He quickly goes through all the details he has heard about the family. A single father and a four year old daughter. The father's name is Niall Horan, Harry has saved it in his memory so he won't forget it. It's mainly all he knows, and the fact the father is looking for a nanny for a longer period of time, which suits Harry better than well.

When Harry spots the right house, he parks his car and double checks that the address is correct. He takes a few calming breaths, thinking he can't afford to be nervous. It's almost a manner of life and death, and he wants this job. Hell, he needs this job.

Harry is standing on the doorstep, trying to calm down before ringing the door bell. His palms are sweaty so he quickly wipes them on his jeans, trying to get rid of the sweat. He knows he can't shake someone's hand with a sweaty hand, it would be a horrid way to start a job interview.

When the door opens, Harry sees a man in his early twenties. Harry is a bit shocked when he realises he thinks the man looks kind of beautiful and flawless. He mentally slaps himself, deciding he is being an idiot for thinking like that.

He thinks this possibly can't be the father. He looks around Harry's age, maybe even younger, and Harry thinks there is no way he is a father to a four year old child.

"You must be Harry," the man says and Harry quickly nods, offering his hand so the man can shake it.

"Harry Styles," he introduces himself.

"I'm Niall Horan."  _So he is the dad after all,_ Harry thinks and wants to shake his head in disbelief.

"Oh right, come inside," Niall realises and moves aside, letting Harry inside the house.

"Aisling is taking a nap upstairs so we can talk in the living room," Niall explains to Harry.

"Aisling is my daughter," Niall clarifies and Harry nods, thinking he has never heard the name Aisling before, but it is beautiful. 

"Please sit down. Can I get you anything, coffee, tea maybe?" Niall politely asks.

"I could use some coffee, thank you," Harry tells him.

"Milk, sugar?"

"Just milk, please."

While Niall disappears to the kitchen, Harry takes his time to look around the living room area. The room is rather big and nicely furnished. It looks cosy with all the wooden furniture and a large, brown couch.

Harry looks at some paintings on the wall, thinking they look amazing. He doesn't recognise whose work it is, but after a few seconds he notices the name Chagall at the bottom of one painting. Harry doesn't know anything about art but Chagall sounds like a French name. Nevertheless, the paintings are beautiful and Harry is mesmerised by them.

Harry doesn't have more time to look around because Niall steps back to the room, holding two coffee cups in his hands. Harry realises he must have had coffee ready in case Harry wanted some.

"Thank you," Harry thanks Niall and takes the coffee mug.

"So Harry, I was told you used to study to become a kindergarten teacher," Niall begins to sort of ask questions right away, just like Harry assumed.

"Yes for almost three years," Harry explains.

"So you dropped out of university."

"Yes I eh, I couldn't afford it. I plan on going back though," Harry awkwardly tells him.

"And the company ran a background check and everything seems to be fine," Niall continues and Harry simply nods.

"Did the company tell you more about me or this job?" He then asks.

"Well they told me you need a full-time nanny until next autumn," Harry explains.

"Would you be able to work for that long?" Niall asks and Harry quickly nods.

"Do you have any experience in babysitting?"

"I used to babysit children back in high school to earn some money," Harry answers quickly.

"That's good then," Niall nods and takes a sip of his coffee.

"What about children around my daughter's age?"

"Yes and well, I studied the subject at school. I was specialising on children age four and five."

"So how old are you Harry?"

"I'm turning 22 in a few months," Harry answers, wanting to ask the same question from Niall.

"Oh. You're only six months younger than me," Niall realises and there, Harry has his answer for his earlier, silent question. Niall has just turned 22.

Harry offers Niall a smile, thinking it's nice how they are almost the same age. He begins to wonder how Niall became a father at such a young age, he must have been only 17 or 18 when his daughter was born.

"You probably know this but I'm a single father."

"Yes, I'm aware," Harry says.

"I'm starting a new job in the beginning of December and I'll work office hours," Niall says and Harry nods.

"Do you cook?" Niall asks.

"Yes, all the time."

 

After that, Niall keeps asking some other questions and Harry answers to all of them, carefully explaining a bit about his background. He has no idea how he is doing but judging by the smile on Niall's face, Harry thinks he is doing just fine.

"Alright Harry, I have a proposition to make," Niall speaks up and now, Harry gets impossibly interested. It sounds like Niall is offering him a job already.

"Since my job doesn't start until next month and I don't need a nanny before that, I was thinking maybe we could test this out and see how things go. Would you mind coming here for the next three weeks? I'll be home so we can see how things go and I'll be paying you of course. If things go well, you'll have a full-time job."

This offer is better than Harry expected, even if he doesn't get the job he will still get money from the time he is 'on test'.

"That sounds great," he truthfully answers.

"Good! Should we start on Monday then?"

"Sure," Harry nods.

"Great. I'll inform the company so you don't have to contact them," Niall says and Harry thankfully nods, thinking it's only easier for him.

"I'm sorry you can't meet Aisling right now, I don't think she's going to wake up for a while," Niall apologises.

"It's completely fine," Harry quickly tells him.

"So, we can discuss more on Monday and you'll meet Aisling then."

Harry realises they are most likely done here, seeing as Niall already offered him the job, sort of. Harry gets up, offering his hand to Niall who shakes it before giving Harry a small smile. 

"Oh, what time should I come here on Monday?" Harry realises he has no clue when Niall is expecting him to show up.

"Is around nine alright?"

"Yes it's perfect."

"Oh, I should probably have your number in case I need to contact you," Niall realises and offers his phone to Harry.

Harry quickly types in his number and then calls to his own phone so he can get Niall's number. Then they exchange quick and polite goodbyes.

Harry walks to the hallway, grabbing his winter coat and putting it on before turning around and telling Niall bye for the second time. Niall only nods and Harry turns around again, exciting the house. He rushes to his car and after hopping inside, he shouts  _hooray_  for a few times. He is simply too excited to calm down.

He can't believe how nice Niall was, offering a propose like that. Harry knows he should feel lucky but he also knows these upcoming three weeks will be impossibly important, seeing as it's a test to see how things start going.

Harry has no idea what to expect, mostly because he didn't meet Niall's daughter yet. He knows there are all kinds of children, there are those who are shy and cute, and also those who are like tiny monsters. He can only hope Aisling is a nice kid and that Niall has raised her well.

 

 

The same night, Harry goes through his old studying books. He specifically goes through the chapters that talk about children age four to five.

Harry studies even the tiniest details, thinking he wants to be well-prepared for the upcoming weeks. He knows he has to do this, he would never forgive himself if he didn't get this job because he wasn't prepared enough.

He already knows most of the things but he thinks a small rehearsing isn't necessarily a bad thing. While going through his books, reading a line after line, Harry starts missing studying. He gets frustrated for a minute, wondering why life has to be so unfair sometimes and he couldn't afford going to school anymore.

He silently curses, thinking sometimes life isn't exactly fair. Other than the whole college subject, life has always treated Harry quite gently.

He had a very happy childhood, growing up in a small village. Even though his parents divorced when he was young, Harry was still a happy child who had a rather normal life. He was close with his mum and older sister Gemma, and he had a best friend too.

When Harry starts thinking about it more, he realises his life used to be quite boring. Nothing major ever happened, even his high school years were simple. The only struggle he had was with his sexuality but other than that, his life was simple and boring.

The only big thing that has happened in his life was when he left his hometown and moved to Dublin to study. It was a rather impulsive decision, born by Harry's own frustration. He simply thought he needed some change in his life and applied to a school in Dublin. When he got in, he decided to take the opportunity and move.

He never regretted his decision to move. He met his best friend Liam and they got a house together, he studied the subject he loves and created a new life in Dublin. Although everything remained as boring and simple, Harry still was happy.

After dropping out of school, he hasn't really been that happy. He still has Liam and they share a house together, but lately Liam has been incredibly busy and Harry haven't seen him that much. Since Harry hasn't been working, he's been moping around the house and spending way too much time on Skype, video-chatting with his mother.

Harry sighs, closing the book he was reading and thinks he should give it a rest. He can't really learn much if he keeps getting lost in his thoughts, constantly thinking about his past. Instead of reading the book or thinking about his life, he starts recalling the job interview.

He smiles when he recalls the moment of seeing Niall for the first time. Harry can't help but to think the Irish man is very attractive and handsome. He also can't believe Niall is only a bit older than Harry, but has a four year old daughter.

After minutes of thinking, Harry makes a silent promise to himself. He promises that if he somehow manages to get this job, he will stop eyeing Niall. He can't do that, it's simply inappropriate and something Harry shouldn't be doing. He should only focus on Aisling and doing his job, not staring at Niall and thinking how hot he looks.

Harry recalls again how good Niall looked and he smiles to himself. Niall was wearing a pair of light washed jeans and a white button up shirt. Simple but still, attractive. He was shorter than Harry and his body was small but Harry thinks it's adorable. He found Niall quite huggable, he looked like someone you would want to just pick up and hold for the rest of your life.

Niall's hair was blonde and bit messy, his fringe covering half of his forehead. His eyes, those were absolutely the best feature in him. His eyes were piercing blue and Harry swears he has never seen such beautiful eyes before. He knows he sounds like a girl from a romantic comedy movie but he doesn't care. 

"Harry!" Liam's voice interrupts Harry's thoughts and he groans a little.

"Yes Liam?"

"Can you order pizza?"

"Order yourself!

"But Harreeh!"

"FINE!"

Harry groans, thinking sometimes he would much prefer living by himself. Liam is his best friend and a nice roommate, but he can also be a handful sometimes. It's almost like Harry is the parent , looking after an impossible teenager, even though Harry is a year younger than Liam.

"Thanks Harry," Liam thanks him after he has phoned the pizza place and sat down on the couch next to Liam.

"How did your interview go?" Liam asks while they wait for the pizza to arrive.

"Fine, he made an offer that I'd work for three weeks and we'll see how it goes," Harry explains.

"You'll get the job," his roommate says.

"You don't know that," Harry protests.

"Yes, I do."

"Fine, whatever."

"Awww don't be like that Harry," Liam teases and playfully hits his shoulder.

 

 

Ten miles south, Niall is restless and can't sleep. It's been like that for almost an hour now and Niall mentally curses the whole situation, thinking how badly he wants to sleep but his brain won't allow him to do so.

Niall feels a bit nervous. Although he thought Harry seemed genuinely nice and he has high hopes for the new nanny-in-testing, he still wonders if it seems too good to be true.

He can't really afford to search for a new nanny and Harry is almost like his only hope. He can only hope Harry will be great with Aisling and Niall can manage to build enough trust for the nanny to leave him alone with Aisling once he starts working.

Niall isn't looking forward to starting to work. He is lucky in a way that his big brother owns a company and has offered Niall a well paying job. Niall would be screwed without this opportunity, he doesn't have an education and he couldn't really afford going back to school either. He barely graduated from high school and he knows no one hires young people without a proper education. Well, maybe Tesco does.

Niall sighs, thinking how much his life has changed since he had Aisling. At 17 years of age, he had big hopes and dreams for his future. He wanted to study music and work in music industry but instead of doing that, he had a baby before his 18th birthday.

He doesn't regret having Aisling, that is the one thing he would never change but he still hopes he could go to university and get a good education. He fears he can't give Aisling the kind of life she deserves. He fears he will lose his new job, he fears he would have to move back to his mother's house and raise Aisling there like he did for the past four years.

There was nothing wrong with living under his mother's roof, in fact it was quite nice to have company and someone to help with Aisling. Still, Niall thinks it was time to move into his own house and take full responsibility of his daughter. The only bad thing is Aisling constantly missing her grandma but luckily she lives nearby and visits almost weekly.

Niall sighs, thinking he is once again over-analysing everything. He knows he should stop worrying and live his life, offering Aisling the best life he possibly can. He knows worrying doesn't get him very far and he quickly decides to stop stressing. He wants to believe everything will be fine, that the whole new nanny situation will be successful.  

Right before drifting off to sleep, a thought hits Niall's mind. If Harry's nanny skills are at least as good as his looks, he'll be the best nanny in the history of all nannies. 

 


	3. Chapter 3

 

Harry wakes up at seven am when his phone goes off, telling him it's time to get up. He knows he didn't necessarily need to get up this early but he wanted to give himself more time to get ready for the first day of work.

Harry has some mixed feelings. He is excited to go back to Niall's and to meet Aisling for the first time but on the other hand, he feels extremely nervous. Niall seemed nice enough and he sure is a sight for sore eyes but Harry doesn't really know him well enough to tell more about him.

He is also scared he will somehow screw this opportunity up, it's a great chance and he doesn't want to lose it. He thinks this job would be perfect for him since Aisling is already four years old and an only child. Harry knows it's easier to handle just a one child instead of having to deal with four, and he also knows Aisling is most likely pass her negative age. Or if not, the worst stage should be over already.

Since Harry used to study children related things, he knows quite a bit about children. He is confident about his knowledge and thinks he shouldn't have too much trouble with Aisling. His biggest fear is that Aisling isn't raised well and she is some kind of little monster but Harry thinks Niall seemed nice and smart, so he is sure Niall has raised his daughter well.

Harry knows how different children can be, each of them being their own person. Some kids are shy of strangers, some talk more than the others, some are nicer, some more stubborn. He starts thinking about the most important advice he has ever heard, regarding of a situation when you're meeting a child for the first time.

The first one is, be yourself. Children sense things easily and they are also more honest and straight forward, and tend to tell every opinion they have. Harry knows pretending is extremely stupid because children might catch on that quite easily. The saying  _'the truth can be heard from the lips of a child_ ' wasn't made for nothing because it's completely true.

The second one is, let the child come to you. Harry knows if a child is shy, you shouldn't force things and try to impress them. Some things take time and in this case, Harry knows the first few days are the most critical ones. He knows that once a child decides something, it's not easy to change the opinion they already have.

 

While driving to Niall's house, Harry keeps thinking about how important first impressions are. He hasn't really planned anything because he thinks it's best if he lives by the moment. Since he doesn't know Aisling at all, he can't really plan anything too much and thinks he should just see how she is and go from there.

When Harry turns to Niall's street, his heart starts beating faster as he gets nervous. He knows he has nothing to be nervous for since he is quite confident but still, he can't help but to feel slightly scared. It would be easier if he knew what to expect but he feels like he is blind-folded, and can only rely on his instincts.

Harry parks his car and quickly tries to smooth his hair a bit. He didn't bother styling it this morning, he never really does, so he lets his curls be in their natural form which is, well, curly and all over the place.

He checks out his clothes too, thinking he has managed to make quite a good choice of clothing. He is wearing a simple outfit, blue jeans and a gray jumper, along with a leather jacket. It's nothing special but it shouldn't be either, he thinks it's best if he keeps his looks simple and doesn't go overboard.

He hops out of his car and quickly walks to Niall's front door. The cold wind causes Harry to shiver and suddenly he hopes he would have worn a warmer jacket. It's the start of December and going around wearing only a leather jacket isn't exactly the smartest move.

"Good morning." Niall has suddenly opened the front door and Harry quickly realises he has been zoning out and completely missed the part where he should have heard Niall's footsteps and the door opening.

"Morning," Harry answers and waits for Niall to move aside so he can step inside.

Harry takes a quick second to look at Niall, very secretively of course so Niall doesn't notice anything. Today, Niall is wearing some light washed jeans and a black hoodie. The clothes are just as simple as Harry's and Harry thinks Niall doesn't even really look like a dad, more like a college student.

"You can leave your coat here and maybe take your shoes off as well," Niall explains and motions a clothing rack with his hand.

"Sure." Harry doesn't find it odd that Niall wants him to take his shoes off, after all most of people don't want dirt or snow inside their houses, especially if you have young children who tend to spend more time on the ground.

"Aisling is in the kitchen eating breakfast," Niall quickly tells him and Harry nods.

"A few things first. I was thinking if you would only stay until lunch time today and then maybe tomorrow until Aisling's nap around two," Niall explains.

"Yeah that sounds good," Harry agrees, thinking it's actually quite smart, slowly letting Aisling to adjust to a new person and a new situation.

"Could you wait in the living room until she is done eating? I'll bring her there then," Niall asks and Harry nods, again understanding why Niall wants him to do this.

Harry walks to the living room area and sits down on an armchair. While he waits, he gets lots in his thoughts, thinking how much benefit his studies have. If he didn't study children care, he wouldn't have too much clue about anything right now but since he did, he is completely aware of the situation and knows what to do.

"Are you ready darling?" He suddenly hears Niall talking and he realises Aisling must have finished eating her breakfast by now.

"Yes daddy," he then hears a small voice saying.

"Let's go meet Harry then."  
  
Harry turns his head towards the kitchen entrance and soon, Niall walks to the living room, holding a little girl in his arms.

It's amazing how much Aisling looks like her father. It's as clear as a day that they are father and daughter and no one could ever make a mistake thinking otherwise.

Aisling has her father's features, the same nose, shape and colour of eyes, same chin and mouth. Her skin is pale just like Niall's and Harry can see some freckles on her nose, just like he can see on Niall's. The only visible difference is their hair. Niall is naturally brunette, it's easy to tell by his roots but Aisling is blonde. Her hair is curly and almost golden colour, and it reaches her shoulders. All in all, she is like a miniature, girly copy of Niall.

"Aisling love, this is Harry. Harry, this is my daughter Aisling," Niall introduces them once he has put Aisling on the ground. She is standing next to Niall and holding onto his leg, her small fist grabbing a hold of Niall's jeans.

Harry quickly stands up and crouches down so he is in the same eye level with Aisling.

"Hello," Aisling quietly mumbles and Harry immediately knows what type of child Aisling is. He can tell she's feeling a bit shy but she is still curious about Harry. Curious enough to try and talk to him, despite the fact she is just a little bit shy.

"Hello Aisling, it's lovely to meet you. My name is Harry."

Aisling tilts her head a little to the right and looks at Harry with her big, blue eyes. They are the exact same colour than Niall's and they remind Harry of an clear-watered lake or perhaps, an ocean.

"Air-ry," Aisling tries to say Harry's name.

"Ary – Azzy – Hazzy. Hazzy," she finishes and much to Harry's surprise, smiles shyly.

"Nice seeing you Hazzy," she then thoughtfully says, offering Harry a shy smile.

What happens next shocks Harry a little. Aisling lets go of her father's leg and brings her hand towards Harry. He quickly offers his hand to Aisling, who wraps her fingers around Harry's index one, quickly shaking it. Harry realises Aisling is trying to shake his hand, just with her own personal style, and his heart melts a little.

"Play with daddy now?" Aisling asks after letting go of Harry's hand. She looks up at her father, wrapping her arms around Niall's leg.

"Sure Aisling. What do you want to play?" Niall asks, bending down and easily picking Aisling up.

"Park," Aisling answers.

"Do you mind going to the park?" Niall asks from Harry who has stood up again.

"Of course not," Harry quickly answers, thinking it's quite a nice idea. If they go to a park, Aisling can play in peace and Harry can let her have some space. He knows pushing things is never a smart move and he thinks it's best to give Aisling her time adjusting on Harry being around.

"Is it alright if Harry comes too?" Niall then asks from Aisling who nods, not seeming to be bothered by the fact Harry is coming along.

Harry thinks Niall must have explained the situation to Aisling already since she doesn't ask any question or seem bothered by the fact a stranger is suddenly coming to their house.

"Alright my love, let's get you changed," Niall tells the little girl before carrying her to the hallway.

He puts her down, opening the hallway closet doors and getting out Aisling's outerwear. She is wearing leggings and a dress but Niall quickly takes the dress off, pulling a warm knit out of the closet. Aisling puts it on herself and then pulls on the pants Niall is handing over. Harry finds Aisling's clothes adorable, the quilted pants are plain black but her coat is baby pink with some mint green cube print in it.

"Red or black wellies?" Niall asks.

"Black," Aisling decides and Niall hands her a pair of black wellies.

"What beanie would you like to wear?"  
  
"Kermit."

Harry holds back a laugh when Niall places a beanie on Aisling's head. Suddenly the word kermit makes sense because the beanie is white and it has some green frogs in it.

Niall quickly grabs mittens and a scarf, putting them on Aisling before telling her to hold on while he puts his coat on. Niall hands Harry's coat to him and Harry quickly puts it on before going further to the hallway, putting on his shoes.

"Let's go then," Niall says and Harry opens the front door, holding it open for Niall and Aisling.

The park is almost around the corner and while they walk, Niall explains to Harry that this is Aisling's favourite park and she could go there almost every day. Harry walks behind them, thinking Aisling is looking absolutely adorable wearing her frog beanie and holding her father's hand while they walk.

When they enter the park, Aisling immediately runs towards a children's slide and climbs up the small stairs. Niall jogs over, making sure Aisling doesn't hurt herself when she comes down from the slide.

Harry decides to stay back, giving them some space. He watches them closely, thinking how wrong he was about Niall earlier. Harry thought Niall looked more like a college student but now that he is watching Niall playing with his daughter, he looks nothing but a dad.

Harry thinks it's funny how different two people's lives can be. He is almost the same age than Niall and yet, their lives are completely the opposite. While Niall is a single father, trying to raise his four year old daughter, Harry is a college dropout who works as a nanny. Harry's life hasn't really even started yet and his whole future is still open while Niall has already settled down and his life has a purpose.

"Do you want to swing?" Harry hears Niall asking from Aisling who shrieks from excitement and starts running towards the swings. Niall laughs a bit, looking at Harry and motioning him to join them.

Niall picks Aisling up and places her on the swing, making sure she is sitting properly. Then he starts giving her some speed, pushing the swing from behind her. Aisling giggles loudly and yells 'faster'.

They keep doing the same thing for a while until Niall stops the swing and asks Aisling if she still wants to swing or if she wants to do something else. They have been in the park for a while already and Harry thinks Niall probably wants to head back home soon, after all it's getting quite cold.

"Again," Aisling tells Niall who smiles at her and pokes her nose.

"Do you think Harry could push this time?" Niall asks from Aisling who just looks at him.

"If I go stand to the other side, I can wave to you," he then says and this time, Aisling nods.

Niall raises his head and motions Harry to come over so he quickly walks over to the swing, offering Aisling a smile.

"Not too fast," Niall whispers to Harry who nods, taking a few steps to go around the swing while Niall backs up a bit so Aisling won't swing straight into him.

"Ready?" Harry asks from Aisling who quickly nods.

Harry starts pushing the swing, being carefully not to give the little girl too much speed. She giggles loudly and Niall keeps waving at her, just like he said he would. Harry finds himself smiling like a complete idiot but right at that moment, he doesn't care very much.

After a while Niall tells they should head back home and Harry doesn't push the swing anymore, letting the speed die down itself. Once it's completely stopped, Niall lifts Aisling up.

"Hey Aisling, do you want to know a secret?" Harry carefully asks from Aisling who is now on Niall's tight hold.

"Yes!" She answers straight away and Niall smiles shortly.

"I can fit into that swing too," Harry reveals.  
  
"Lies lies," Aisling huffs and shakes her head.

"Do you want me to show you?"

"Yes please."

Even though it's one of those baby swings and not a regular car tire one, Harry knows for a fact that he can fit into the swing. The only problem is that he might get stuck from his bum and as he slips his legs through the holes, he thinks he shouldn't try to fit into the swing completely. Instead of sitting down completely, Harry sits on the edge of the swing, his position looking somewhat strange.

"See. I fit," he happily tells Aisling who looks at Harry with wide eyes. Harry notices Niall is looking at him with a small grin on his face, looking like he finds the situation funny.

"Silly Hazzy," the little girl suddenly blurts out and shakes her head from left to right. Harry looks at her, grinning a little while Niall chuckles.

"Should Harry get out of the swing?" Niall asks from Aisling.

"Yes, not for Hazzy," Aisling states and Harry chuckles while getting out of the swing.

They begin to walk back to Niall's house, Aisling making her father carry her and Harry walks next to them, smiling to himself and thinking how much he is enjoying this, spending time with Niall and Aisling.

Harry can already easily see himself as Aisling's nanny. He feels like he needs to get this job, like he wouldn't know what to do if Niall didn't give him the job.

He thinks Aisling is a wonderful girl, surely she is a bit shy but Harry is certain she will come around eventually, once she gets to know Harry better. He knows these things take some time, especially if Aisling isn't used to being around so many people and her inner circle is small. Harry doesn't really know anything about Niall's family, he is just simply making assumptions.

"Hazzy?" Aisling's voice interrupts his thoughts.

"Yes Aisling?" He gently asks, able to look the girl in the eyes since Niall is still holding her.

"Aisling is four. How old is Hazzy?"

"Do you want to guess?" Harry offers and Aisling quickly nods before looking like she is deep in thought. Harry thinks she looks adorable, she knits her brows and scrunches her nose, looking like she is trying to solve a mystery.

They have already reached Niall's house and Niall is trying to get his keys from his pocket, which seems quiet hard seeing as he is still holding Aisling.

"Can you hold her?" Niall asks from Harry and suddenly just hands Aisling over to Harry before he can say a word.

He carefully takes Aisling, hoping she doesn't mind that a stranger is now holding her. Harry lets Aisling rest against his hip, holding her up with both arms.

"Is Hazzy three five?" Aisling suddenly asks, poking Harry's shoulder. He chuckles a little but holds back his laugh, thinking he shouldn't be laughing in case Aisling thinks she has said something wrong.

"No, guess again."  
  
Niall opens the door, holding it open so Harry can step inside. He places Aisling on the floor and she immediately sits down, not bothering to take her outerwear off. She looks like she is thinking again and suddenly her whole face lightens up.

"Hazzy like daddy!"

"How old is your daddy then?" Harry asks, wondering if he should help Aisling take her clothes off. Since Niall is still taking his coat off and putting it to the clothing rack, Harry thinks he can at least take off Aisling's now very muddy wellies.

"Daddy two two."  
  
"Well guess what Aisling? I will be twenty-two in couple of months," Harry tells Aisling and places her wellies on the floor.

"Aisling is best!" The little girl giggles and Harry hears Niall letting out a quiet laugh behind them.

"Alright my love, shall we take your coat off then?" Niall asks and walks past Harry, giving him a small smile before bending down and starting to take Aisling's outerwear off. Once he is done, Aisling starts running away and giggling as she goes. Niall shakes his head and grins at Harry, who returns the smile.

"I'll start cooking lunch soon," Niall suddenly tells Harry.

"Do you want to watch telly with her while I cook?" He asks and Harry immediately nods, saying of course.

Niall walks to the kitchen and Harry slowly wanders to the living room, getting a bit nervous all of a sudden. This is the first time he is alone with Aisling, well not alone since Niall is just the next room but still, the moment is important.

Harry thinks he has done quite a nice job today, at least Aisling has spoken to him and she doesn't seem that shy anymore. He hopes Niall thinks he has been alright, he hopes Niall doesn't think anything bad about him. For a moment Harry wonders if he should just ask Niall but he quickly decides against it, thinking he will just wait and see if Niall gives him some feedback.

"Shall we watch some telly?" Harry asks Aisling who is laying on the couch, holding a blanket against her chest and hugging it tightly.

"Cartoon," is Aisling's answer.

Harry clicks the telly on and sits on the other end of the couch. Aisling wiggles around and finally sits up, still holding the blanket against her chest. She begins to chew her thumb while watching the children's cartoons and Harry thinks she looks absolutely adorable.

He still can't get over how much Aisling looks like Niall. He knows it's common, many girls look much like their fathers but still, he thinks it's fascinating. 

"Aisling, lunch is ready!" Niall suddenly singsongs from the kitchen and Harry sighs, knowing his first day is over.

Aisling runs to the kitchen, leaving Harry alone in the living room. He is frozen to his spot, getting lost in his thoughts and suddenly he realises he should get going already. After all Niall told him he should only stay until lunch time.

"I'll be going now," Harry says after peeking his head from the kitchen entrance and seeing Aisling already eating her lunch.

"Yeah hold on I'll walk you out," Niall quickly says.

"So, same time tomorrow?" Harry asks or mostly, makes sure. He doesn't know why he feels so insecure all of a sudden, thinking maybe Niall doesn't want him to come back anymore.

"Yeah," Niall nods and offers Harry a genuine smile.

"I think today went quite well," Niall says as Harry grabs his coat and puts it on, bending down to reach his shoes.

"Yeah?" Harry asks, looking at Niall with widened eyes.

"Yeah," Niall truthfully answers.

"Alright well, see you tomorrow."  
  
  


 

Later that evening, Niall is giving Aisling a bath. The little girl hasn't been that talkative, not even when Harry left and Niall can't help but to wonder if it has something to do with Harry. He hopes Aisling will accept Harry, mostly because Niall already thinks Harry seems great.

Finding a nanny isn't easy, Niall knows that. He also wonders if he has made a mistake deciding not to put Aisling into a daycare but hiring a nanny instead. He quickly shrugs the thought away, thinking he shouldn't start questioning himself again. It has never ended well before.

"Aisling?" Niall gently asks while washing Aisling's hair.

"Daddy."  
  
"Did you like Harry?"  
  
Aisling doesn't answer anything so Niall repeats the question, hoping he will get an answer this time.

"Who is Hazzy?" Aisling asks much to Niall's surprise.

He hasn't exactly explained to Aisling how Harry is a nanny needing for a job. The whole thing would simply be too difficult to explain to a four year old, so Niall has just told Aisling Harry is his friend who is going to spend some time with them.

"Remember what I told you?" Niall carefully asks.

"Hazzy a friend."  
  
"Yes and he will spend some time with us," he adds.

"Hazzy nice daddy?" Aisling then asks.

"Of course he is my darling. Do you think he is nice?"  
  
"Yes," Aisling answers and Niall smiles, feeling relieved.

"Harry is coming again tomorrow," Niall explains while drying Aisling.

"Hazzy play again?"  
  
"Yes my darling, he will play with us."  
  
"Okay daddy."  
  
After changing Aisling into her pyjamas, Niall tugs her in bed and reads to her until she falls asleep. He watches Aisling sleeping for a few minutes, a small smile on his face. He bends down, placing a kiss on her forehead and whispering her good night.

"Love you daddy," Aisling sleepily mumbles.

"I love you too darling," Niall gently tells her and places another kiss on her forehead.

Niall tiptoes to his own room, leaving the door open like he always does. Aisling has nightmares from time to time and she feels safer if Niall leaves the bedroom doors open, so she can quickly come and wake him up if she has a nightmare.

Niall lays down on his bed, already feeling sleepy and exhausted. Today has been rough, mostly because he has been stressing over Harry so much. He wishes he would know Harry better so he could stop stressing.

He starts working on December and he needs to find a nanny by then. Harry is sort of his only option and if things won't work out, Niall is screwed. He hasn't really made any back up plans because he wants to keep on hoping everything will be fine and Harry will be a perfect nanny.

He keeps thinking about Harry, smiling when he remembers what Harry did at the park. Niall still can't believe the curly haired boy actually fitted into the swing or that he willingly did that, just for Aisling. Niall thinks Harry seems like he knows what he is doing and he guesses it's because of Harry's education.

It's quite impressive how much Harry seems to know about children. Niall realised it when Aisling asked Harry's age and Harry told her to guess. Niall immediately understood what Harry was doing. Aisling is just in that age where her negative age has passed by, but she is still a bit stubborn and wants to do things by herself. She feels more independent and Niall knows it's important to let her do some simple things by herself rather than doing everything for her.

That is exactly what Harry did today and Niall didn't even need to tell him about it. He simply just knew. Niall can't help but to feel impressed and he starts thinking if Harry keeps going on like this, he might hire Harry by the end of the week.

While doing more deep thinking, Niall changes into his pyjamas and slips under his warm sheets, turning into his side to shut his night lamp. He closes his eyes and sighs happily, thinking it's quite nice to feel relieved after doing so much stressing during the day.

Suddenly, an image of Harry pops into his head and he wants to laugh out loud. It was the moment when Harry met Aisling for the first time and she shook his hand. Niall has taught Aisling how to shake hands but she has quite a unique way of doing it. He remembers what Harry's face looked like, his eyes almost popping out but he quickly covered it and then he couldn't stop smiling.

Niall chuckles, remembering how happy Harry looked while sitting on the children's swing. He looked absolutely ridiculous in that swing but he still had a huge smile on his face. Niall thinks Harry seems a bit silly but yet, very nice and genuinely good person.

Right before drifting off to sleep, he thinks he should teach Aisling to pronounce Harry's name properly.  _Just in case._

 


	4. Chapter 4

 

"Daddy! Daddydaddydaddy!"

Niall wakes up when Aisling is bouncing up and down on his bed. He rubs his eyes, taking a minute to realise it's already morning and Aisling has woken up before him. He sits up, resting his back against the back frame of his bed.

"Come here my little monkey," Niall laughs and grabs Aisling, holding her tightly against his chest. She giggles loudly before starting to squirm away from her father's hold.

"You can't get away," Niall singsongs and starts holding Aisling like a baby. He pretends to lull her and Aisling giggles again before poking his cheek.

"Daddy is so silly," she huffs but giggles again when Niall starts singing a lullaby to her.

"Goodnight my little baby," he sings, intentionally with a broken tone.

Aisling does a ridiculous fake laugh, sounding like she is guffawing and Niall bursts out a laugh. They both keep laughing for a while before Niall gets up, gently throwing Aisling over his shoulder.

"Breakfast time," he says and pats Aisling's back when she giggles.

Aisling seems to be happy this morning and Niall silently hopes her good mood will last throughout the day. He thinks it will be easier for Harry and maybe, Aisling will start accepting Harry.

He quickly takes a look at the time when he reaches the kitchen. It's only 8.15, his alarm clock would have went off fifteen minutes from now if Aisling hadn't woken him up.

"Aisling," Niall gently says while Aisling is eating her breakfast.

"I think you should learn to say Harry's name right."  
  
"Hazzy," Aisling immediately says.

"No darling, it's Harry."  
  
"No daddy, Hazzy."

"Darling, Harry."  
  
"Arry," Aisling first says much to Niall's surprise and he is even more surprised when Aisling pronounces Harry's name correctly without any trouble.

"Harry is Hazzy," she states and goes back to eating her porridge.

Niall sighs, thinking he will have to discuss the subject with Harry more and ask him if Aisling can just call him Hazzy, seeing as she has somehow created the nickname and refuses to call Harry anything other than by the nickname.

"Harry is coming here soon," Niall informs Aisling who is still finishing her breakfast.

Niall is eating the left-over porridge, thinking he won't make coffee just yet in case Harry wants to drink some too so he will wait until Harry gets here.

"Should we get you changed before Harry comes?" Niall asks and grabs Aisling's empty bowl, putting it into the dishwasher.

"Hazzy," Aisling corrects with a serious tone.

"Yes, Hazzy," Niall agrees.

"Yes. Make me pretty," Aisling commands and Niall chuckles when she grins happily.

Niall knows what Aisling means with making her pretty. She has been going on about that for a while, it started when she was spending a weekend at her grandma's house and she braided Aisling's hair. Niall can't do things like that, he simply sucks at styling hair so the only thing he really does is he brushes Aisling's curls.

 

A bit over nine, the doorbell rings and Niall smiles, knowing Harry has arrived.

"Shall we open the door for Harry?" Niall asks from Aisling who just nods, wrapping her small fingers around Niall's pinkie and walking by his side.

"Morning Harry," Niall greets after opening the door.

He almost lets out a laugh when he sees Harry properly. His hair is a complete mess, reminding Niall of a bird's nest. Harry is wearing sweatpants and white converse but when Niall spots Harry's jumper, he bursts out a huge laugh.

"What?" Harry asks, his voice still a bit raspy from sleep.

"Your jumper is inside out," Niall says between his laughs. Aisling starts giggling too, pointing her finger at Harry's jumper which is in fact, inside out. You can see the sewing and the whole jumper looks just a bit wrong.

"Oh," Harry lets out, looking down at his jumper and blushing heavily.

He overslept this morning and was in a huge hurry. He didn't have any time to eat breakfast because he needed to shower and he knows he forgot to brush his hair. Since his hair is curly and quit long, it needs to be brushed after shower or otherwise it looks, well, like a bird's nest.

He didn't even have time to search for proper clothes so he threw on some old sweatpants and a jumper. Obviously he should have paid more attention to dressing up, seeing as his jumper is inside out and he now feels incredibly embarrassed.

"Oh, come inside," Niall bursts out when he realises Harry is still standing on the doorstep because he hasn't moved aside to let the poor boy in.

"Yes, welcome in Hazzy," Aisling says, trying to sound like an adult but failing by saying 'Hazzy'.

"Thank you very much Aisling," Harry thanks the little girl before stepping inside and closing the door behind him.

"Did you eat breakfast yet?" Niall asks while Harry takes his shoes off.

"No but that's alright," Harry quickly tells him and puts his coat away.

"Let's go make you something," Niall says, completely ignoring Harry's words.

He and Aisling walk into the kitchen, Harry following their footsteps. He wants to protest, he really does but he thinks it's not wise. It's only his second day and he can't just blurt out whatever he wants to. Harry suddenly realises his jumper is still inside out so he quickly stops on his footsteps, pulls his jumper off and turns it around before putting it back on.

Niall commands Harry to sit down and this time, Harry protests but Niall isn't having it. Aisling sits opposite of Harry, curiously looking at Harry.

"Daddy?" Aisling suddenly ask. Niall is making Harry a sandwich, hoping it's fine by the nanny.

"Yes my darling."

"Hazzy has pictures," she thoughtfully says and points at Harry's wrist.

Harry realises she is talking about his tattoos and he immediately stiffens, wondering if he should have mentioned something about his tattoos earlier, like yesterday. You can only see a few of them, a cross on his hand and an anchor on his wrist but the rest of his tattoos are hidden underneath his jumper's sleeves.

"Pretty pictures," Aisling then says and leans in to see Harry's tattoos better.

Harry doesn't think much when he pulls his sleeve up up a bit and offers his hand to Aisling so she can look at the tattoos closely. While Aisling admires Harry's tattoos, he takes a quick look at Niall to see his reaction.

To his surprise Niall is smiling and he doesn't look bothered at all. Harry thinks Niall must not really care if he has tattoos, but he still decides to ask just in case.

"It's not a problem?" He hopefully asks.

"Of course not," Niall quickly tells Harry who sighs in relief.

"Lucky flower," Aisling suddenly says and puts her finger on Harry's shamrock tattoo.

"It's a shamrock," Harry tells her.

"Shamrock," she says without any trouble and grins happily.

"It's for good luck," Harry explains to the little girl.

"Smart Hazzy," she states and both Harry and Niall chuckle a little.

"Here's your sandwich Harry. Would you like some coffee?" Niall hands over Harry's sandwich.

"I eh, sure if you'll have coffee too," Harry answers.

While drinking coffee, Harry starts thinking how Aisling seems to be in a much better mood today. She doesn't seem shy anymore and Harry smiles to himself, thinking maybe Aisling is starting to warm up to the idea of Harry spending more time at their house. Harry knows it's only his second day and he doesn't want to get his hopes up but still, he can't help himself.

"What do you want to do today darling?" Niall asks while putting the dishes away.

"Paint today," she thoughtfully answers.

"We can do that. What else?"  
  
"Play hide and see!"

"It's hide and seek my love."  
  
"Hide and see."  
  
"Alright, alright. We can do that too."  
  
Harry listen to their conversation in amusement, thinking the way Niall calls Aisling his love or darling is extremely cute. He understands they must be close, seeing that Niall is a single father and Harry doesn't have a clue if Aisling's mother is even around or not. He thinks she probably isn't so it's no wonder Niall is so close to his daughter.

"Daddy and Hazzy hide and Aisling see," Aisling informs.

"Alright but hold on my darling, daddy has to clean the kitchen first," Niall quickly tells her.

Aisling runs to the living room and Harry chuckles while putting the milk away.

"Don't hide into an easy place, she hates it," Niall whispers to Harry.

"Does she think I'm letting her win too easily?" Harry asks and Niall nods, grinning a bit.

"She's smarter than you would think," he quietly laughs.

"Aisling you can start counting now and no cheating!" Niall yells once they are done cleaning the kitchen.

Harry realises he doesn't even know their house, he has never been upstairs before so he decides he should hide somewhere downstairs because he doesn't want to snoop around and end up somewhere he might not be allowed to go, like Niall's bedroom.

Aisling starts counting and Harry has a hard time holding down his laugh when he hears her way to count. It goes normally until ten but then, she starts making up her own words and it goes on like ten, elk, two, horse, doll, barbie.

Harry realises he is still standing in the kitchen and suddenly he is in a hurry to hide. He remembers the large closets in the hallway, thinking he can probably fit inside. He is right, he fits there just fine so he hides behind some coats, making sure the coats are covering his body before shutting the door as quietly as possible.

"Aisling is done now!" Harry hears a shriek and he covers his mouth so he won't laugh.

He doesn't hear anything for a while so he thinks Aisling must have gone straight to upstairs. It starts getting quite hot in the closet and Harry hopes he doesn't have to stay for very long.

"Silly daddy," he hears Aisling talking and he tries thinking where she could be.

"I know love," he hears Niall's voice and realises Aisling has found Niall already.

"Where is Hazzy?"

"I don't know Aisling, you have to find him. Can't afford to lose our friend like that now can we?"

"Hazzy!" Aisling shrieks and Harry has to hold down a laugh.

He thinks they are somewhere in the kitchen, their voices are coming from close enough so Harry can hear them loud and clear. He hears footsteps, going around the downstairs area and suddenly, the footsteps come closer and someone opens the closet doors.

Harry stays quiet, mentally thanking himself for standing in the corner and being covered by the coats. He can't possibly be seen unless you would move the coats away.

"He's not here either," Niall says as he closes the doors again. Harry has to bite his hand to keep himself for laughing. He never thought a silly game could be so much fun.

"Where Hazzy?" Harry hears Aisling asking.

"I really don't know, I think we have looked for everywhere."

"Hazzy, you naughty boy!" This does it. Harry lets out a huge laugh, he simply can't hold it down anymore, not after hearing Aisling's shriek.

Suddenly someone opens the doors and moves the coats away. Harry faces Niall who looks at Harry in disbelief before joining Harry and letting out a laugh. Harry steps out of the closet and sees Aisling standing in the hallway.

"Hazzy is naughty!" Aisling tells him in a serious tone.

"I honestly don't understand how we didn't find you," Niall chuckles.

"You told me not to hide into an easy place," Harry reminds Niall and laughs a little.

"Play again!" Aisling says, sounding excited and Niall lets out a sigh.

"Great, thanks a lot Harry. Now we have to play for the whole day."

Harry knows Niall isn't too serious so he just smiles shortly. Aisling runs to the living room and starts counting again. Since Harry is still too shy to just go upstairs, he looks for a place downstairs and spots the utility room. He quietly tiptoes there while Niall is going up the stairs.

There aren't many places where you could hide so Harry quickly decides to stand behind the door. Maybe it's a stupid place to hide but he doesn't have much more time and besides, he wants Aisling to find him this time.

She finds Niall first just like the first time and then, she manages to find Harry. Aisling giggles loudly and tells Harry she wins, which is true.

After another round, Niall asks if they should go to the park again and Aisling immediately gets excited. She jumps up and down before running to the hallway.

"She has so much energy," Niall sighs to Harry who quickly nods, completely agreeing with Niall.

"Alright love, red or black wellies?" Niall asks while he gets Aisling's outerwear from the closet.

"Red."  
  
"What beanie would you like to wear?"

"Red."  
  
"Good choice darling," Niall says and pulls out a red beanie along with the same mittens and a scarf Aisling was wearing yesterday.

While Niall helps Aisling to get dressed, Harry puts on his shoes and his coat, wrapping his scarf tightly around his neck. It's one of those infinity scarves and when Niall spots it, he lets out a laugh and looks at Harry in disbelief.

"What?" Harry asks.

"Why are you wearing girls' scarf?"  
  
"It's from Topman!" Harry quickly protests and Niall grins.

"Whatever you say," he playfully tells Harry.

"Yes whatever Hazzy. Now park!" Aisling says and Harry holds down a laugh, looking at Niall and noticing Niall has a hard time containing his laugh too.

 

While Aisling is running around the park and going down a slide, Harry and Niall have some time to talk. Their conversation remains simple, they mainly talk about music and movies. 

Niall already thinks Harry seems great and he is genuinely enjoying Harry's company. He wonders could it be too good to be true, but he quickly decides he is being an idiot. Harry is great and he is also great around children.

When Aisling wants to swing, Harry is pushing her while Niall is standing on the other side, making sure he is waving at his daughter.

"Hazzy?" Aisling asks while she is swinging and Harry is pushing the swing.

"Yes?"  
  
"You swing too?" She asks another question and Harry chuckles.

"I could," he answers.

"Daddy push Aisling, Hazzy swing too!" Aisling shrieks loudly and Niall quickly obeys, walking over to the other side of the swing.

Harry sits on the swing next to Aisling's one, this swing is a regular car tire one so he can actually fit into it probably. He starts swinging, making sure he is going the same speed Aisling is. He keeps waving at Aisling who giggles loudly.

 

The rest of the day goes by quickly and around two o'clock Aisling goes to take a quick nap. Niall has explained to Harry how he lets Aisling take naps, not longer than an hour because then she won't sleep at night.

She doesn't necessarily need her nap so she doesn't take them daily, mainly when she has too much energy and she gets tired around noon. Harry thinks it's perfectly normal, taking a daily nap that is. 

"So Harry you can go home now that she's sleeping," Niall tells Harry who nods.

"Actually, would you mind staying for a bit. I need to discuss something with you," he changes his mind and Harry nods again, following Niall to the living room.

They sit down on the couch, Harry thinking that Niall must be giving him some criticism now. He wonders if he has done something wrong.

"I wanted to talk about Aisling's mother."

"Oh," Harry accidentally lets out because he wasn't expecting that.

"She isn't in the picture, actually Aisling doesn't even know what her mother looks like. She normally doesn't ask any questions about her mum but lately she has been asking things from my mother, so I just wanted to explain the situation to you in case she asks you something. If she does, just tell her to talk to me," Niall explains.

"Alright," Harry quickly answers.

"So I think today went great," Niall comments.

"Yeah?" Harry more asks than tells.

"Absolutely, you seem great with Aisling."  
  
"T-thank you," Harry stutters, taken aback by Niall's compliment.

"I'll see you tomorrow at the same time?"

"Yeah," Harry smiles before getting up, realising he should be going now.

 

 

"How did it go?" Harry's best friend and roommate Liam shouts as soon as Harry gets home.

"Pretty good," Harry tells his roommate while taking off his shoes and coat.

"The father is kind of hot," Harry mumbles awkwardly and blushes when he hears Liam chuckling.

"How old is he?" Liam asks.

"Your age."  
  
"That young?" Liam asks in disbelief.

"Yeah I know, and Aisling is four."  
  
"Wow, could you imagine me having a four year old?" Liam jokes and Harry immediately shakes his head.

"No," he answers.

"Why not? I would be a great dad," Liam protests.

"With your drinking skills and habit of having a fuck buddy? I don't think so," Harry huffs.

"Zayn is history," Liam mumbles but Harry knows that isn't true. He only knows because when he woke up early in the morning and went to the kitchen to get a glass of water, he saw Zayn sneaking out of their house.

"Since this morning?" Harry playfully questions and takes Liam off guard.

"You saw him, right," Liam huffs and Harry lets out a laugh.

"We should go out to celebrate!" Liam suddenly sounds excited.

"Absolutely not," Harry turns the idea down.

"Why not?"

"I have work in the morning and you have school."  
  
"Blah blah not listening," Liam says and covers his ears with his palms. Harry looks at him in disbelief, thinking Liam is being absolutely ridiculous.

"Fine, one beer at the corner pub," Harry gives in when Liam has continued his ridiculous act.

"YES! That's my best mate," Liam announces and quickly hugs Harry before getting up.

"You're such a child," Harry huffs but smiles a little.

"You love children though, don't you?"  
  
"Well yes but that doesn't mean I want to raise you," Harry playfully says and Liam snorts.

"I'm not that bad," he protests.

"Oh right mate, you're even worse."  
  
"Shut up Harry."  
  
"Fine."

 

 

Meanwhile ten miles south, Niall is cooking dinner for his daughter. They watched Spongebob together when Aisling woke up from her nap and now, they are both hungry so Niall tries his cooking as quickly as possible.

"Alright darling remember the vegetables," he tells Aisling as he places a plate in front of her.

They begin to eat in silence and Niall gets lost in his thoughts, mainly thinking about the new nanny, Harry. Niall thinks Harry seems genuinely nice and trustworthy, and Aisling seems to like him too.

Well, Aisling is a bit more complicated. She isn't used to being around people that much, mainly because for the first two and half years since she was born, Niall was home with her. Then Niall started working and his mum watched Aisling during the days.

Now things have changed. Niall got a job at his brother's company so they had to move to Dublin. Niall doesn't mind it, he thinks the change might do them some good. Their neighborhood seems nice and everything is close by, Aisling's future primary school is almost around the corner.

At first Niall thought of putting Aisling into kindergarten but he soon realised having a nanny would become cheaper and it was also better option for Aisling. Niall's mum also thought getting a nanny for Aisling was a better option.

He thinks it's good that Harry is around his age. Although first Niall wanted a girl, seeing as he is a single father and the only woman in Aisling's life is her grandma, Niall's mother Maura. At the end of the day, Niall is happy that he found Harry and he is certain Harry is a great nanny.

"Thanks daddy," Aisling's voice suddenly interrupts his thoughts and he realises she has finished eating her dinner.

"Was the food tasty?" Niall asks and Aisling quickly nods.

"Yes please, very good," she informs before getting up.

"Where are you going now?" Niall asks, chuckling a bit as he has to grab her hand to stop her from leaving the room.

Aisling doesn't say anything, instead she just huffs and looks at her father. Niall smiles, easily picking her up and placing her on his lap.

"Sit there tightly while daddy finishes his dinner alright?"

"Okay daddy."

Aisling rests her back against Niall's chest and he wraps an arm around her, holding her while he tries to finish his dinner. He finds it a bit hard, eating while his daughter is sitting on his lap but somehow he manages to finish his plate.

"Alright let's clean the kitchen," Niall says, holding Aisling as he gets up. He holds her while he puts the dishes away, somehow easily succeeding even though he can only use one arm.

Niall is often holding Aisling, she has always been clingy and likes to be hold. She is always clinging onto Niall, whether it's his leg, arm or sometimes she simply takes a hold of his clothes. He has never minded it, in fact he doesn't think anything bad about it at all. 

It's understandable, Aisling being clingy and constantly craving to be close to Niall. He has raised Aisling alone and they are close, possibly closer than a normal father and daughter would be. Since Niall used to stay at home with Aisling, he has always been there and that is most likely why she became so clingy in the first place.

"All done," Aisling informs once Niall has put all the dishes away.

"That's right darling. Do you think it's your bath time already?"

"Yes please," she immediately answers.

Niall carries her upstairs, letting the tube fill up while he helps Aisling to take off her clothes. He chuckles at how excited she is, she has always loved bathing and almost every night, she is excited to get a bath. 

"Daddy?" Aisling asks while she is playing with a rubber duck. Niall is sitting on the floor next to the bath, watching her playing with bath toys and bubbles.

"Yes love?"  
  
She doesn't say anything, instead she raises her hand and pinches Niall's nose. He starts laughing, especially when Aisling does it again and does a fake laugh. She does it often, a ridiculous fake laugh that sounds like she is guffawing.

"Are you tired darling?" Niall asks when Aisling tries to spear bubbles on his face.

"No!" She giggles and Niall shakes his head with a smile on his face. It's obvious she is tired, simply because she is giggling and acts quite restless.

Once she is done with bathing, Niall changes her into pyjamas and puts her to bed. He reads to her for a while and halfway through the story, Aisling makes him to lay down too.

"Good boy," she comments once Niall is laying on the bed. 

It's a bit ridiculous, both of them laying on Aisling's small bed but Niall doesn't mind too much. He smiles when Aisling clings onto his arm, pressing her face against his bicep.

"Darling," Niall says when he sees Aisling is about to fall asleep.

"Darling you have to let go, otherwise I can't leave the bed," he softly tells her, running his fingers through her golden locks.

"No," she mumbles.

"I can't sleep here," Niall says and places a kiss on her forehead.

"Okay," Aisling continues mumbling and lets go of Niall. He gets up, sitting on the floor and stroking her hair.

"Goodnight darling," he gently says, placing another kiss on her forehead.

"Love you daddy," Aisling mumbles.

"I love you too baby," Niall softly answers, caressing her cheek before getting up and quietly tiptoeing out of her room, making sure to leave the door open.

 


	5. Chapter 5

 

On Thursday, Harry is getting ready for his fourth day of work. While he showers, ten miles south Niall is making Aisling some breakfast.

"Bacon bacon bacon!" Aisling keeps shouting and Niall soon realises it's one of those days. He thought Aisling has got over her negative age but apparently, she still has some bad days when nothing seems to work.

Niall mentally curses the situation because it's only Harry's fourth day and now he has to handle Aisling while she is being impossible. When Niall starts thinking about it more, he realises maybe it's a good thing. Harry has to learn how to handle Aisling and what would be a better way to learn than with Aisling on her negative age day.

"Are you excited that Harry's coming?" Niall asks his daughter while she is eating her porridge.

"NO!"

"Alright then," Niall sighs, hoping Aisling's mood will get better as the day goes on.

"What do you want to do today?" He tries asking another question.

"See gammy."

"Darling, we can't see gammy today."

"I WANT GAMMY," Aisling shouts as loud as she can and Niall shakes his head.

"I know darling, we can go visit gammy in the weekend."

"No!"

"Yes, Aisling."

"No lies?" Aisling suddenly asks, dropping her bad attitude, much to Niall's surprise.

"No lies, I promise. We can see her for the whole weekend."

"Okay daddy."

After that, Aisling's bad mood seems to be lightened up just a bit and Niall hopes it stays that way.

 

Half an hour later, at 9am sharp, the doorbell rings. Niall asks Aisling if she wants to open the door but the four year old yells no before running away to her room. Niall sighs and walks to the front door, opening it for Harry.

"Good morning," Harry politely greets Niall.

"Morning," Niall says before lowering his voice so Aisling can't hear them.

"So Aisling is in a bad mood, she is still having a bit of negative age from time to time," he explains.

"Alright," Harry whispers back.

"Try to bear with it, it usually wears off if you'll be patient," Niall explains and Harry nods.

"I don't mind really," he then tells Niall because he doesn't want Niall to think he minds. He feels confident, thinking maybe he can do something to help with Aisling's bad attitude. After all, Harry is very familiar with negative age and knows how to handle these type of situations.

"Let's go see her then," Niall says.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" Niall asks as they walk up the stairs. Harry realises this is the first time he has seen the upstairs, he has only been to downstairs before.

"Yeah," he answers to Niall's question.

"Okay so, at the end of the hallway is my room, this one here is the guest room and Aisling's room is on the left," Niall motions with his hand and Harry nods.

"There are also two bathrooms and a closet," he motions to the other doors and Harry nods again.

Niall gently knocks on Aisling's door although it's open and when he doesn't hear a reply, he opens the door fully, reveling the little girl sitting in the middle of the room, playing with a doll.

"Aisling, Harry is here," Niall tells his daughter, using a gentle tone.

"Say hello to Harry, darling," Niall orders softly when Aisling doesn't say a word.

"Hi." Harry hears a small whisper.

"Hello Aisling," he happily says and sits down on the floor next to her.

"Does your doll have a name? She is very pretty," Harry starts talking and Niall can't help but to look at him with wide eyes, wondering what on earth the nanny is doing.

"Anna," Aisling tells to Harry before looking him straight in the eyes. Harry smiles at the little girl before grabbing a small hairbrush and handing it to Aisling.

"Shall we make her hair look pretty?" Harry asks and Aisling hesitantly nods, taking the brush and brushing the doll's hair.

"You make Anna pretty," Aisling says, using a quiet tone and points her finger at a box close by.

Harry bends over, seeing the box is full of different hair accessories. There are headbands, bobby pins, flower pins and colorful bobbles. He grabs a few bobbles and takes the doll from Aisling.

Niall's eyes almost drop out when Harry begins to braid the doll's hair, creating two similar French braids on both sides of the doll's head. Niall can't believe his eyes, he had a feeling Harry is a good nanny but he never assumed Harry would willingly braid a doll's hair. Niall thinks Harry is like a gift from God himself and he silently thanks someone for finding Harry. He also thinks maybe he should officially hire Harry, as soon as possible.

"Pretty Anna," Aisling comments once Harry is done with the braiding.

"Make Aisling pretty too?" The four year old suddenly asks, looking at Harry with her big blue eyes. Harry nods and tells Aisling to turn around. He takes the hairbrush and gently brushes Asling's blond locks, making sure he isn't too rough and hurting the girl.

"Do you want braids too?" He asks and Aisling quickly nods.

While Harry braids Aisling's hair, Niall is still in shock. He can't believe his eyes. There they are, his daughter and her new nanny-in-testing, sitting on the floor while the nanny is braiding his daughter's hair. The situation would be fine unless the nanny was a 21 year old male.

"How do you..." Niall bursts out all of a sudden and clears his throat before continuing.

"I mean I can't do that," he points at Aisling's braids.

"Oh, I used to watch my neighbour's girls all the time and they taught me," Harry grins much to Niall's amusement.

"Okay you're doing her hair every morning, I can't do that," Niall tells Harry who just chuckles before nodding and telling Niall it's alright.

"Thanks Hazzy," Aisling quietly mumbles when Harry is done with braiding her hair. Niall watches the finish look in amusement, thinking her hair has never looked this good. Niall sucks at hair related things and that is why Aisling's hair is always in its natural form, curly and all over the place. Niall barely knows how to do a simple ponytail but he feels relieved now that he knows Harry is great with hair.

"Hazzy's hair curly," Aisling suddenly points out and much to Niall's surprise, she climbs on Harry's lap and starts playing with Harry's curls.

"They like mine," Aisling thoughtfully says and Harry nods, holding Aisling by her waist so she won't fall.

"Play with Aisling, Hazzy," the little girl suddenly commands, squirming off of Harry's crib. Once Harry is standing up, Aisling wraps her small fingers around Harry's pinkie and walks him out of the room. Niall follows them, on the edge of having a heart attack because he simply can't believe the current situation.

It seems like Harry has managed to win Aisling over, only in less than four days. Niall doesn't understand how it's even possible, but somehow Harry has succeeded. Niall takes a mental note to talk about that with Harry and to thank him for simply being so amazing.

"Is your daddy playing with us too?" Harry asks when he has sat down on the living room couch and Aisling goes over to a wooden chest that is full of her toys.

"Daddy?" Aisling turns around and looks at her father with big eyes.

"Yes darling," Niall quickly answers and walks over to the chest, pulling out a puzzle.

"Do you want to do puzzles?" He asks from Aisling who just nods and sits down on the floor. Niall sits next to her and pulls her on his lap, earning a giggle from the girl.

"Come Hazzy," Aisling demands and points her finger at a spot right next to her and Niall.

 

An hour later, Aisling has solved three puzzles while Harry and Niall have had a casual conversation. Niall seems genuinely interested in Harry's background so Harry ends up telling him how he moved from Cheshire to Dublin to study.

Harry also tells about his roommate Liam, who is still studying at university. Harry tells about his previous jobs and all Niall does is listen, fascinated by how much Harry gives out about himself. Niall thought Harry is a shy person but apparently if you manage to ask right questions, Harry can talk for hours.

"Daddy, hungry." Aisling's voice interrupts the adults' conversation.

"Alright we should make some lunch," Niall says as he gets up from the floor.

"I could cook," Harry offers.

"Oh no you don't have to," Niall quickly protests.

"I want to," Harry insists and Niall sighs, nodding at the nanny.

Niall and Aisling sit in the kitchen while Harry cooks. He is making a simple dish, spaghetti and meat sauce. Normally, Niall doesn't eat such a heavy lunch but he thinks it's important that Aisling eats two warm meals a day, so he has decided to make an exception and eat heavier lunches himself.

As they all eat in silence, Harry starts thinking how comfortable he feels around these two people. They are all still a bit strangers to each others but still, Harry feels completely comfortable, as if he was at home. He smiles at the thought before quickly looking at Niall, chuckling quietly when he notices some sauce around Niall's mouth.

"Messy daddy," Aisling informs, obviously spotting the sauce on Niall's face like Harry had.

Harry's heart melts when he sees Aisling taking a napkin and wiping the sauce off of her father's face. Niall has obviously taught his daughter well and Harry thinks the sight of Aisling helping out her father is just too adorable.

"Thank you darling," Niall smiles at his daughter and Harry can see so much adoration in Niall's eyes. When Harry looks at Aisling, he can see how much the little girl loves her father. Harry's heart melts a bit more and he thinks the sight in front of him is one of the most adorable things he has ever witnessed in his life.

 

 

"You were great today," Niall tells Harry once Aisling is asleep, taking her daily nap.

"Thanks," Harry says and blushes heavily.

"You are so good with her, I don't think you will have any trouble with her," Niall truthfully says and Harry's blush grows bigger. He isn't used to these type of compliments and since he already thinks so highly of Niall, hearing the Irish man praising him like that is just too much.

"Thank you," Harry mumbles and looks down on his lap.

Niall chuckles when he notices Harry's blush. Earlier Harry was so open and happy and now, he is all bothered, a blushing mess. Niall thinks it's funny how Harry's shyness just shows up out of nowhere.

"Are you in a hurry?" Niall decides to ask.

"N-no," Harry stutters, still a bit bothered by Niall's compliments.

"Would you want to stay for coffee?"

"Sure," Harry agrees, thinking he much more prefers staying than going back to his house and spending hours alone there.

They both move to the kitchen, Niall begins to make coffee while Harry tries laying his eyes anywhere but on Niall's bottom. After a while of avoiding it, Harry finally gives in and stares at Niall's perfectly shaped bum.

"Hey Harry do you -" Niall cuts himself off when he turns around.

Harry's face is completely red and Niall chuckles, deciding to let the poor boy be so he quickly continues with his question.

"Do you mind watching Aisling by yourself tomorrow just for a few hours?"

"Of course not," Harry quickly mumbles, feeling relieved Niall didn't say anything about his staring. It was quite obvious that Harry's eyes were in a wrong spot.

"I have to run some errands," Niall explains and sits down while waiting for the coffee to be done.

"I could come with you and watch Aisling?" Harry offers.

"No that's alright, I think it's better if you two spend some time together without me."

"Yeah alright," Harry mumbles. He doesn't mind, in fact he feels very flattered Niall already trusts him enough to leave him alone with his daughter.

"Can I... Can I ask you something?" Harry carefully asks after being quiet for a while.

"Sure."

"Well you have raised Aisling so well and I was just wondering... How? I mean, because you're alone and stuff." Harry realises he sounds like a complete idiot but there is nothing he can do now, the words are already out there.

"I lived with my ma until I moved here, so she has been helping a lot," Niall explains and Harry is surprised Niall even answered to his stupid question in the first place.

"It was hard at first but after the first year it got a bit easier." Harry just nods, fascinated how well and carefully Niall explains everything to him.

"It's not as hard as you would think. I honestly still don't have that big of a clue about parenting, I just go with what feels right. Aisling has always been an easy child so I think I'm quite lucky in a way, she doesn't challenge me that much and she is just genuinely happy most of the time. I think I just always try my best with her and think about her well-being."

Harry thinks Niall is so mature and smart. It is obvious the little girl is his whole life and the way Niall speaks about her warms Harry's heart. He can't believe Niall is only 22, he seems so much more mature. Harry also finds it a bit odd how well Niall seems to be coping with being a single parent and raising a child on his own.

"To be honest I'm scared of her growing up," Niall suddenly speaks up again and gets Harry's focus.

"I'm afraid because she doesn't have a mother figure in her life, well maybe my ma, and I barely know a thing about girls," Niall explains and Harry nods.

"Maybe you'll find someone?" Harry carefully asks and feels a bit offended when Niall lets out a huge laugh.

"Not a mother figure that's for sure," Niall bursts out before letting out another laugh.

Harry doesn't understand what is so funny but he decides it must be some sort of inside joke he just doesn't get. Once Niall stops laughing he gets up and pours coffee into two mugs, handing the other one to Harry.

"Thanks," Harry mumbles and pours some milk into his coffee, mixing it with a spoon.

"I didn't mean to offend you, I mean you didn't say anything wrong."

Harry looks at Niall in surprise, his eyes are widen when he stares into Niall's blue eyes. Niall chuckles but offers Harry a genuine smile, which seems to calm the curly haired boy down a bit.

Harry wishes Niall would explain himself but of course, Niall keeps quiet. He thinks it's too early to tell anything to Harry and he starts wondering if he should first find out more about Harry. Niall quickly decides to do some undercover research, meaning he will start asking some questions and paying more attention to Harry.

It's not like Niall doesn't trust Harry, he just doesn't know the younger boy very well yet and he thinks some things are meant to remain as a secret. At least until he is ready to reveal them, which isn't just yet.

"Hey Harry?" Niall suddenly asks.

"You don't mind Aisling calling you Hazzy, do you?"

"Of course not," Harry quickly reassures and Niall can tell he is being honest.

Harry is just about to open his mouth and ask Niall a question when he hears quiet footsteps coming from the stairs and right after that, a small voice is calling 'daddy'.

"In the kitchen darling!" Niall lets Aisling know and a few seconds later, the little girl pops into Harry's sight.

"Did you have a nice nap?" Niall asks as he picks Aisling up, placing her in his lap and holding her tightly. He presses a kiss into Aisling's hair, resting his chin against her head.

"Yes daddy," Aisling mumbles sleepily.

"Hazzy still here," she suddenly realises and Harry almost coos at the way she keeps saying his name. He thinks it's adorable and he secretly hopes Aisling will never call him Harry.

"Yes I am, I should get going now," Harry says before getting up and placing his now empty coffee mug to the dishwasher.

"Thanks for the coffee," he thanks Niall and gives him a small smile.

"No problem. See you tomorrow."

"Bye Hazzy," Aisling says and waves at Harry who quickly waves back before walking out of the kitchen, heading towards the front door.

 

Once Niall hears the front door opening and closing, he starts asking Aisling some question.

"Do you like Harry, darling?"

"Hazzy is nice," Aisling answers.

"And you want to spend more time with Harry?"

"Yes. Hazzy plays, silly boy," Aisling thoughtfully says, causing Niall to grin. He thinks Harry managed to win Aisling's heart by simply braiding hers and her doll's hair.

"Daddy is going somewhere tomorrow for a few hours so you'll spend some time with Harry. Is that okay?" Niall carefully asks.

"Yes if spend time with daddy too."

"Of course baby, of course," Niall quickly reassures his daughter, lifting her up and turning her around so he can hug her.

Niall thinks he is the most happiest person in the wolrd when Aisling wraps her small arms around his neck, pressing her face against his neck.

"Love you daddy," he hears Aisling mumbling against his neck.

"I love you too darling," he quickly answers with a wide smile on his face.

They continue hugging for a bit longer, Aisling mumbling other nice things to Niall. He thinks he is so lucky to have such an amazing daughter. He knows the only thing he needs to be happy is simply, her.

"Daddy," Aisling suddenly whines and pulls back to look into her father's eyes.

"Need to pee," she continues whining.

"Well you know how to use the bathroom," Niall chuckles at his daughter.

"Okay," is the only thing Aisling says before climbing off of Niall's lap, running towards the bathroom.

 

When it's time to put Aisling to bed, Niall realises her hair is still braided and he should probably open the braids.

"Aisling I have to open your braids now," he tries telling her but she immediately protests.

"No daddy!"

"Can you sleep like that?" Niall mostly wonders out loud.

"Of course," Aisling says, tilting her head and looking at her father like he has suddenly grown two heads. At that very moment, Niall thinks he should learn more about women.

"Goodnight my darling," Niall whispers and places a soft kiss on Aisling's forehead.

"See Hazzy tomorrow?" Aisling suddenly mumbles sleepily and Niall frowns for a second.

"Yes Aisling, Harry is coming here tomorrow."

"Night daddy," Aisling mumbles and Niall gets up, turning the lights off before walking to his own bedroom.

 

When Aisling goes to bed, Niall usually stays up for an hour or two. He doesn't do anything special, he mostly reads or sometimes calls his mother or his best friend Louis, who lives in London. Niall thinks today he will stick to reading because he has bought a new book a while back and haven't even started reading it yet.

As he begins to read, his mind wanders back to Aisling's earlier question about seeing Harry tomorrow. Niall thinks how it's odd but good at the same time. Aisling never warms up to people so quickly, she takes her time but with Harry, it seems different. It seems like Aisling has already accepted him and decided to like Harry.

Niall smiles to himself before pulling out his phone and clicking a new message button. His fingers ghost above the keyboard before he types in the message.

_Aisling went to bed wearing the braids you made. You have officially been hired as a hairdresser. Thank you again for today._

He quickly sends the message to Harry, not quite knowing why, he just feels like it.

When his phone buzzes, he quickly reveals Harry's answer, smiling when he reads it.

_I will do a bun tomorrow! Goodnight_

 


	6. Chapter 6

 

After the first two weeks of being Aisling's nanny-in-testing, Harry feels like he has learned every important thing he has to know. He knows which vegetables the girl eats and which she doesn't. He knows Aisling is obsessed with SpongeBob and she also loves playing with dolls or doing puzzles.

He knows that if Aisling is sad, reading lightens her mood. He knows that if Aisling gets grumpy, it's simply because she is hungry. Harry has learned about Aisling's favorite band (Backstreet Boys) and also learned that Aisling knows how to pronounce Harry, she just likes Hazzy better.

Harry thinks the little girl is absolutely adorable, and quite funny too. He finds it funny that Aisling seems to think her father's name is Daddy Horan. He also chuckles when he thinks about Aisling saying 'silly daddy', it is one of her most used sayings and she says it at least three times a day.

During the weekend, Harry often finds himself thinking about Aisling and Niall, wondering what they are doing. He knows they have taken a trip to see Niall's mother, Niall told him yesterday, but he still keeps wondering what they are doing, or if they are having fun.

On Saturday night, Liam drags Harry out, saying he shouldn't spend the whole weekend inside their house. Liam invites Zayn too, much to Harry's dislike. Zayn is sort of Liam's boyfriend and Harry knows that at some point, Liam will disappear with Zayn and Harry has to go home by himself.

When they go into Dublin's nightlife, Harry lets Zayn and Liam pick a bar. They end up in a small pub much to Harry's surprise, and he thinks it's better than going to a massive night club they went the last time.

Around midnight Harry starts yawning and tells Liam and Zayn he will call a taxi and go back home. When the taxi arrives, Harry hops in and rests his head against the window, watching the changing view.

A small smile flashes on his face when they pass Niall's house. He can't help but to think how excited he is for Monday because during the weekend, he has simply felt lonely and he misses having company all the time.

Or maybe, he just misses Niall and his daughter.

 

On Friday, Niall kept complimenting Harry and Harry started to think that maybe, just maybe, he is getting the job. He is already so keen on Aisling and he doesn't want to think about the possibility Niall won't hire him after all.

He also thinks about the upcoming Christmas holiday, which is still a month away. Harry is going back to his hometown in Cheshire to spend some time with his family. Liam is going home too and they have booked the same flight because both of them hate traveling alone and Liam's hometown Wolverhampton isn't that far away from Manchester.

Harry is excited for Christmas and he thinks the break will do some good for him. He hasn't been home since September and he keeps missing his family, his mum and step-dad and his sister, too.

Although Harry loves living in Dublin and thinks he might stick around for a longer period of time, he still keeps missing his home back in England. He grew up in a small town and it's his home, always will be, but Harry thinks Dublin has become his home now.

The thought of Christmas frightens Harry a bit, simply because it's almost December now and the upcoming week is Harry's last week of work, well unless Niall hires him. He is scared that Niall won't, knowing he will be heart-broken if Niall doesn't hire him after all.

 

What Harry doesn't know is, Niall is already sold. He is sold to Harry and he is planning on telling that to Harry first thing on Monday morning. Niall thinks Harry seems genuinely nice and trustworthy, plus Aisling really likes him.

Niall thinks he couldn't find a better nanny for Aisling because Harry is simply all he could ever ask for. He is funny, patient and he has the right kind of background. Niall thinks Harry could start teaching Aisling things, considering that is something Harry was studying for almost three years. He thinks the best things in Harry are his age and the fact Harry willingly does things like braiding Aisling's hair.

Niall never thought about finding a nanny like that, never in a million years. He thought the nanny would be someone old who didn't have enough energy for Aisling. He thought it would be hard to find a nanny that Aisling would genuinely like. Now that Harry has been around for two weeks, he is convinced Harry is the best possible nanny he could ever find.

On Sunday, Niall and Aisling return back at home. Niall can tell Aisling is in a bad mood, it's simply because she enjoys spending time with her grandma and Niall knows she hates leaving. He thinks Aisling will get used to it soon, after all they haven't lived in their own house for that long yet so Aisling hasn't really adjusted to the new situation, at least not completely.

 

Late on the evening after Aisling has gone to bed, Niall decides to text his best friend Louis and ask if Louis is up for a Skype call. Luckily Louis agrees and Niall quickly calls him, smiling when his best friend's face pops on his laptop screen.

"How's Dublin?" Louis asks.

"Wintery. How's London?"

"It's quite nice actually. So what's new?"

"You know the new nanny, Harry?" Niall starts. He has already told Louis about Harry, not much though, but he has mentioned him before.

"Yeah," Louis nods.

"I'm going to hire him. He is amazing Lou, you should see him with Aisling," Niall sounds excited and Louis smiles shortly.

"So he's your age?"

"Well six months younger," Niall quickly corrects.

"Guess what he can do? He knows how to braid hair! He willingly braided a doll's hair," Niall reveals and Louis lets out a huge laugh.

"Are you serious?" He asks between his laughs.

"Yeah! He's brilliant."

"Yeah you have to hire that kid."

"I will. When are you going to visit?" Niall asks, sounding more serious this time.

"I was thinking, I could book flights after Christmas?" Louis suggests and Niall quickly nods.

"Maybe 26th or 27th?"

"Either one is fine with me. Aisling misses you," Niall confesses.

"Well I better visit soon then," Louis jokes.

They talk for a while longer, mostly about Louis' job. At some point, Louis starts asking about Aisling's mother and Niall frowns but quickly answers. After all, Louis is his best friend since forever and they tend to share almost everything with each others.

Fifteen minutes later Niall starts yawning widely and Louis tells him to go to bed. Before Niall ends the Skype call, Louis asks if Niall could take a picture of Harry and send it to him. Niall questions this but promises to think about it, though he doesn't understand why Louis is so eager to find out what Harry looks like.

"Is he at least sexy?" Louis teases and Niall blushes heavily.

"He's alright," he quickly answers.

"Oh come on, spill it."

"Fine. I guess he's attractive."

"I know it! I bloody knew it!"

"Good night Louis," Niall laughs and waves at Louis.

"Night Ni, I'll talk to you soon."

 

 

On Monday morning, Harry rings Niall's doorbell at 9am sharp. He is excited about working again which is funny, because Harry hasn't really liked his jobs before. He has always thought working was just, well work, but now he thinks so much more about his job. He thinks it's fun and exciting and in the evenings, he can't wait for the next morning to come.

"Morning Harry," Niall greets after opening the door.

"Morning." Harry steps inside, taking his shoes and coat off.

"Who there?" He hears Aisling yelling from the kitchen.

"It's Harry!" Niall yells back.

"Hazzy came!" Aisling shrieks and suddenly runs to the hallway.

"Hazzy make me pretty?" She asks, hiding behind her father's figure and peeking her head behind his leg.

"Sure Aisling," Harry immediately answers.

Aisling steps away from her hiding spot and walks to Harry, grabbing his pinkie and starts dragging him away. Harry chuckles and quickly looks at Niall who only smiles before telling them he'll continue making breakfast.

"Bun or braids?" Harry asks from Aisling once they are in Aisling's room.

"Hazzy decide."

"Alright then."

Harry decides to try something different, he doesn't want to admit but he watched a few hair tutorials on Youtube yesterday, only because he wanted to learn something new. He is confident he can create a Dutch braid since it's kind of same than doing just a regular French braid.

He starts braiding Aisling's hair, starting from the side and braiding all the way down to her ear and continuing to her other ear. He thinks it actually looks quite good and once he's out of hair to add into the braid, he braids the rest regularly and ties it with a flower bobble.

"Okay it's ready now, do you want to see it?" He asks from Aisling who nods.

Harry takes Aisling to the bathroom, opening the cabinet doors above the sink. He now knows there are two mirrors inside so you can easily look at the back of your head. He holds Aisling up, showing her the braid he has just created.

"What do you think? It's a different one this time."

"Very pretty. Good boy, Hazzy is."

"Thank you Aisling. Shall we go show your braid to daddy then?"

"Yes please."

Harry can't help but to coo at the little girl, she is simply way too adorable. He puts Aisling back on the ground and they make their way downstairs, Aisling immediately running to the kitchen where Niall has just finished making breakfast.

"Look daddy look!" She giggles and jumps up and down before turning around and showing her braid to Niall.

"Wow. Harry how did you do that?" Niall asks and Harry quickly shrugs his shoulders. He doesn't want to tell Niall about the Youtube tutorials, there is no way he will confess that.

"Seriously. How?" Niall asks again, raising his eyebrows.

"Imighthavewatchedsomehairtutorialsonyoutube," Harry blurts out and sits down opposite of Aisling.

"You what?"

"I watched some tutorials on Youtube," Harry says with a quiet tone, feeling extremely ashamed.

He hears Niall gasping but he doesn't dare to look at him anymore so instead, he fixes his eyes on the table and stares at it, trying to hide his blush. He can't believe he just confessed to Niall how he spent his weekend watching some stupid hair tutorials.

"Okay. You're hired."

"I-I... WHAT," Harry lets out and turns around on his chair to look at Niall with wide eyes.

"You're hired," Niall tells him again, grinning a little.

"Are you serious?" Harry almost shouts.

"Yeah."

Harry may have freaked out a bit because he almost jumps up before clinging onto Niall, throwing his hands around Niall's shoulders and hugging him for quick three seconds before letting go and grinning widely.

"Thank you thank you thank you," he blurts out before hugging Niall again.

Niall just stands there laughing and letting Harry hug him. Harry's reaction is priceless and right at that moment, Niall knows he has made the right decision.

"What happening daddy?" Aisling asks, sounding a bit confused.

"Aisling, do you think Harry could be your new nanny?" Niall asks, smiling widely. Harry is still hugging him, and he realises maybe he should let go already.

"But Hazzy is a friend," Aisling wonders.

"Yes darling but do you want to spend more time with Hazzy when daddy goes to work? Remember what I told you last weekend about starting to spend more time with Hazzy?" Niall clarifies his question a little while Harry sits down, still a bit shocked by what has just happened.

"Yes. Hazzy is nice."

"That's settled then," Niall says and takes the seat next to Harry, grabbing a plate and putting Aisling's breakfast on it.

"I don't know what to say," Harry breaths out, still shocked. His face is reddened a little due to his excitement and his eyes almost shine. All in all, Niall thinks Harry looks happy.

"Well you could say you accept my offer," Niall playfully tells him.

"Of course!" Harry quickly says and Niall looks at him before smiling shortly.

"Well congrats then, nanny," he states and grins at Harry who grins back.

"Thank you. Really, thank you," Harry breaths out.

"It's nothing, I already decided this over the weekend and talked about it with Aisling," Niall explains.

"I guess I should inform the office that I got a job," Harry realises and Niall chuckles.

"I guess you should," he nods.

 

Harry couldn't be happier. On Monday afternoon after leaving work, he can't stop smiling. He spends the evening with Liam and Zayn, who both get annoyed with Harry's happiness.

He can't help it, he is happier than he has been in ages. Getting the job means everything to him and now that Niall officially hired him, it means he gets to go back and spend time with Aisling five days a week.  Harry still can't believe it. He feels like it's a dream and that is why he has pinched himself at least five times already, just to make sure it is real. 

 

 

On Wednesday while Aisling is taking a nap, Harry and Niall make a list of things Harry can do with Aisling.

"Maybe you could take her to some museums?" Niall hesitantly offers and Harry nods in excitement.

"I think I should have a separate car seat somewhere, you can have it in your car," Niall continues talking while Harry nods, writing everything down.

"Library!" Niall suddenly blurts out.

"That's a good one," Harry admits and writes it down, too.

"Maybe you could spend time with my ma too, or my dad," Niall mumbles, sounding like he is talking to himself rather than explaining these things to Harry.

"Of course."

"Also I was thinking, would you want to spend Friday alone with Aisling?" Niall asks and Harry raises his eyebrows in confusion.

"I just thought we could see how it goes and all," Niall explains.

"Yeah that sounds like a good idea," Harry agrees and Niall smiles at him.

"Aisling has spent time apart from me, my ma used to watch her while I worked but that's mainly it. She isn't used to being without me or ma," Niall tells Harry who just nods, wanting Niall to keep talking.

"It usually goes well but I just want to make sure. I have a habit of stressing and you know, my job starts on Monday." 

Niall looks a bit ashamed of his own confession and when Harry spots a blush forming on Niall's cheeks, he thinks Niall looks cute.

"I'm sure it'll be alright," Harry decides to try and reassure.

"You're right, Aisling likes you so it should be fine," Niall agrees and now it's Harry's turn to blush.

"Do you want coffee?" Niall asks and Harry nods, thinking he is actually craving for some coffee.

"I'm sorry if I seem like I worry too much," Niall suddenly mumbles while making coffee.

"Pardon?" Harry asks, not sure if he heard correctly.

"Aisling, she is my everything. I guess I'm very over-protective and I stress about her well-being too much so I just wanted to say... I'm sorry, if I seem like that," Niall awkwardly tries to explain.

"Did you ever..." Harry starts but doesn't know how to finish his question.

"Did I ever what?" Niall has to ask when Harry doesn't seem to start talking again.

"I'm sorry, it was stupid," Harry murmurs and avoids looking at Niall.

"It's fine, go ahead," Niall tries to assure and hands over a coffee mug which Harry thankfully takes.

"Well you were so young when you had her so did you like, think about other options?" Harry tries to form his question carefully so he won't accidentally insult Niall.

"I'm sorry that was rude," he blurts out when Niall doesn't say anything.

"It's alright Harry, it's natural to think like that," Niall comments and sits down opposite of Harry, gently patting his hand before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Right from the beginning, I knew I wanted to keep her. Her mother, she didn't like the idea at first but she came around eventually. It was funny in a way, how I knew I wanted to keep her but she didn't," Niall reveals and looks at Harry, a sad smile on his face.

Harry keeps quiet, not knowing what to say. He wasn't expecting Niall to tell him all this, he definitely didn't expect to hear more about Aisling's mother. The subject seems to be forbidden and it looks like Niall finds it painful, judging by the expression on his face. 

"She... She left when Aisling was just a newborn. It's always been me and her. It gets tough sometimes but I try and think about all the good things. I can't even explain the feeling I experienced when she said her first word. She was nine months old, she had just started standing up and I wasn't expecting her to talk for a while but then, she said her first word. It was da-da," Niall tells Harry with a smile on his face.

It's easy to tell how much Niall loves his daughter. The look on his face is so happy, Harry has never seen him smiling like that. It's only when he is either with Aisling or talking about her.

"I remember when she took her first steps. I was at home with her, just the two of us, and we were playing on the floor. She started standing up and suddenly she just walked over to me and fell on my lap. It was one of the best moments of my life," Niall continues telling and now Harry starts smiling too, grinning while he takes a sip of his coffee.

"I'm sorry you probably find this boring," Niall suddenly realises and quickly apologises.

"No no, it's fine. I love hearing more about her," Harry reassures and smiles at Niall.

"You should have seen her when she was younger. She was impossible, constantly doing shenanigans and things she wasn't supposed to do. I remember when she was a bit over a year, I went to the bathroom and when I came back, she was sitting on the kitchen floor, eating coffee beans from the trash can. My ma forgot to put the child lock on the door so she opened it," Niall reveals and lets out a huge laugh.

Harry soon joins him, finding the story impossibly funny. They both laugh for a while, Niall wiping tears off of his eyes while Harry holds his stomach which has started to hurt from all the laughing.

"I wish I would have seen that," Harry chuckles.

"I almost had a heart-attack back then though. I even called to the emergency number and they had to calm me down," Niall tells Harry who starts laughing again.

"See I told you, I'm stressing out too much sometimes," Niall playfully says and laughs at himself.

"I can tell," Harry smiles shortly.

"I'm happy I found you by the way," Niall suddenly blurts out and blushes a little, ashamed of his own words. He didn't mean to say it out loud, it just happened and now there is nothing he can do to take those words back.

"Huh?" Harry feels confused.

"I couldn't ask for a better nanny," Niall mumbles and continues blushing.

"Oh w-well t-thank you," Harry stutters, taken aback by Niall's compliment.

"Yeah," Niall awkwardly breaths out.

They sit in a silence for a while, both of them feeling a bit uncomfortable now. Niall curses himself because he just made the situation awkward for both of them. They were having fun, both of them laughing but of course Niall had to ruin it.

"I should get going," Harry breaks the silence and quickly looks at Niall.

"Oh yeah right," Niall realises.

"See you tomorrow?" Harry more asks than says while he is putting the dishes away.

"Yeah and Harry?"

Harry turns around, raising his eyebrows at Niall who has stood up and stands quite close to Harry.

"Thank you," Niall breaths out before taking a step closer, wrapping his arm around Harry's shoulders and pulling him into a quick hug.

"It's alright," Harry says and pats Niall's back.

Harry blushes furiously when they part and suddenly, he is in a hurry to leave. 

 

On his way back home, Harry can't stop thinking about Niall. He mentally curses himself, especially when he realises he has somehow managed to grow some inappropriate feelings for the blond Irish guy. He knows it's wrong and he silently promises himself that he will stop eyeing Niall and thinking about him.

 


	7. Chapter 7

It's Harry's first official day as Aisling's nanny and Harry couldn't be more excited. He is thrilled, happily singing his favourite song in the shower. He dances around his room, trying to look for some clean clothes.

He feels completely happy and he can't wait to get to Niall's. He knows it's stupid, how much he has missed the little girl and her father but still, it feels natural. He knows he cares about those two people although he hasn't known them for very long.

Harry is one of those people who get attached easily. His inner circle of people is small, he only has one best fried who is his roommate Liam and besides him, he doesn't really have friends. All of his family is back in England so he doesn't have anyone in Dublin, well anyone besides Liam and now Niall and Aisling.

Harry wonders if it's wrong that he might like Niall. He wants to consider Niall as his friend, after all they are almost the same age and thinking Niall as his boss feels a bit wrong. Harry knows he is working for Niall and Niall is the reason Harry has a roof on top of him but still, he doesn't see Niall as his boss.

Although Niall feels like Harry's friend, Harry still finds him quite attractive. He has admitted it to himself but made a promise that he won't start forming a crush. He simply can't.

"Hazzy you late!" That is Aisling's way to welcome Harry on this Monday morning.

"No I'm not," Harry protest and pretends to be shocked. Aisling giggles loudly and pokes Harry's stomach before running back to the kitchen. She is still in her pyjamas and Harry is guessing Niall overslept and didn't have time to change her clothes.

"Oh you're here, finally!" Niall suddenly rushes to the hallway where Harry is still standing.

"Yeah I'm sorry the traffic was awful," Harry apologises, even though he isn't late. He is in fact five minutes early.

"It's alright, it's been a horrible morning. I overslept," Niall breathes out before pulling on his coat and grabbing his keys.

Harry can't help but to look at Niall, just for a quick second. He is wearing straight black trousers and a dress shirt, nothing too fancy like a suit would be but still, office clothing. His hair is flat but that's the way Harry likes it the best. He thinks Niall looks great and when he realises he will get to see Niall like this every day, he smiles to himself.

"Are you sure you'll be fine here?" Niall asks and Harry quickly nods.

"Aisling!" Niall calls for his daughter.

"My darling!" He continues, singsonging this time.

Aisling rushes from the kitchen, running to her father and giggling when Niall lifts her up.

"I'm going to work now sweetheart so you'll be a good girl for Harry. I'll see you in the evening, okay?" Niall brushes his nose against Aisling's and Harry almost coos at the sight.

"Yes, I’m good," Aisling giggles and pokes Niall's cheek.

"Bye daddy, love you."

"Bye baby, I love you too." Niall kisses his daughter's cheek before putting her down and giving a smile to Harry.

"Call me if you need anything," he assures and Harry quickly nods.

"She hasn't eaten yet so make sure she eats breakfast," Niall adds and Harry nods again.

"I left extra keys into the hallway in case you want to go out. You know where everything is right?" Harry nods for the third time.

"I think that's all, I guess I'll be going now," Niall says.

"Have a good day," Harry politely says and Niall gives him a smile.

"Thanks, you too." And with that, Niall steps out of the door, leaving Harry standing in the hallway, Aisling already gone back to the kitchen.

Harry thinks it sucks that Niall was in such a rush. They barely exchanged a word, much to Harry's disappointment. For some reason he finds the whole situation a bit funny too, it's his first day of watching Aisling and Niall almost ran out of the door. He obviously trusts Harry quite a bit.

When Harry enters the kitchen, he sees Aisling looking slightly sad and pouting her lower lip. He quickly decides to try and cheer her up, knowing she is sad because her dad just left.

"Hey Aisling, would you mind helping me choose breakfast? I can't decide," Harry pretends to have a problem, stroking his imaginary beard. Aisling giggles and Harry knows he has succeeded at something.

"Silly Hazzy," Aisling tells him and tilts her head, looking at Harry with her big blue eyes.

"Cereal," she then adds and Harry nods, beginning to search for the cereal.

  


Once they are done eating breakfast and Harry has put the dishes away, he tells Aisling it's time to change clothes. He helps her change into some everyday clothes and then, he does her hair. Instead of braiding it, Harry creates a small bun and puts it in place with some flower pins.

"Pretty Aisling," Aisling states after seeing herself from the mirror.

"Yes, you are very pretty," Harry agrees and Aisling giggles.

"Do you want to go outside and play?" He then asks Aisling, hoping she'll say yes. The weather outside is nice and although it's the middle of the winter, it's still not cold.

"Go to park?" Aisling asks nicely and Harry coos at her before telling her of course.

He helps Aisling to put on her outwear. She pouts when Harry places a beanie over her head, apparently the beanie will ruin the bun Harry made but Harry promises her he can do it again. That seems to calm Aisling down a bit.

Harry grabs the separate keys Niall has left in the hallway for him and quickly makes sure he has his phone with him.

"Let's go," Harry tells to Aisling who tries opening the front door but failing and ending up asking for Harry's help instead.

"There we go," Harry says once the door opens and Aisling runs outside, giggling happily.

Harry knows it's too cold to stay more than maybe thirty minutes but he still thinks being outside will do some good to Aisling.

Aisling wants to swing so Harry helps her to get into the swing, giving her some speed but making sure it's not too fast. Aisling giggles and seems happy, and after swinging for a while she gets bored and wants to do something else.

"Hold on Aisling your dad is calling," Harry tells the four year old when she wants to go to a slide. Harry quickly answers the phone call, mumbling hello and keeping eye on Aisling.

"Is everything going alright?" Niall asks and Harry can tell he sounds a bit worried.

"Yes of course, we are at the park," Harry gently tells Niall.

"Is Aisling behaving herself?"

"Yes, she's wonderful," Harry answers truthfully.

"Daddy!" Aisling suddenly yells and runs towards Harry, raising her hands up and trying to get the phone from Harry.

"Hold on Niall she wants to talk to you." Harry carefully places the phone against Aisling's ear, holding it in place himself. He doesn't know if Aisling knows how to use phones and he doesn't want to take any risks of his phone breaking.

"Hi daddy." "Yes Hazzy is nice." "Okay daddy." "Bye daddy."

Harry puts the phone back to his ear, quickly saying goodbye to Niall after reassuring everything is fine.

"Silly daddy," Aisling giggles and shakes her head.

"You're right Aisling, your daddy is a bit silly," Harry tells her and she giggles again.

"Should we go home and have lunch?" Harry asks when he notices time has run faster than he thought.

"Carry me," Aisling replies and Harry chuckles.

"Sure thing," he tells the little girl. Instead of letting her hop on his back, he crouches down so Aisling can wrap her arms around his neck and then he lifts her up. Harry thinks it's safer this way, holding her against his chest instead of his back.

"Hold on tight," Harry tells her, even though she doesn't have to hold on tight since Harry is holding her.

Aisling giggles happily when Harry occasionally jumps up a bit. She makes Harry run, yelling 'run horsey run' so loudly Harry thinks he has gone deaf for a minute. They are both laughing once they reach the right house again.

"Did you have fun in the park?" Harry asks Aisling while he is making them some lunch.

"Yes. Go again tomorrow?"

"Sure," Harry agrees quickly.

"You be horsey again?" Aisling asks and Harry lets out a quiet laugh.

"Sure Aisling."

"Aisling Kate," the girl suddenly says.

"Your second name is Kate?" Harry asks and she nods.

"Daddy likes it."

"Well I like it too, very much," Harry tells her with a smile on his face while finishing cooking the lunch.

"I like Hazzy," the four year old suddenly says while they are eating.

"You do?" Harry asks, feeling a bit taken aback.

"Yes," Aisling simply states.

"Well I like you too, very much," Harry gently tells her and she nods to him, continuing to eat her lunch.

Once they are done eating, Harry asks Aisling to play in the living room while he does the dishes. They play together for a while until it's time for Aisling's nap. Harry helps her change into her pyjamas and promises to fix her bun when she wakes up.

While Aisling sleeps, Harry decides to do some laundry. He knows it's not part of his job but he doesn't want to just sit around, so he might as well do something. He blushes slightly when he picks up Niall's boxers, quickly throwing them into the laundry machine.

He sighs once the laundry machine is on, thinking he should ask Aisling to help her hanging the laundry once it's done.

He wanders to the kitchen, making sandwiches ready in case Aisling will get hungry. He also chops some fruits, thinking he should try and make Aisling eat more vegetables and fruits like Niall has pointed out a few times.

While waiting for Aisling to wake up he texts Liam, asking if he should do groceries or does Liam have time later.

"Hazzy?" Aisling has woken up and walked to the kitchen, looking at Harry with sleepy eyes.

"Oh you're up already. Let's get you changed and fix your hair then," Harry quickly gets up from his seat.

"Hazzy?"

"Yes Aisling?"

"When daddy comes?"

Harry looks at his phone, checking the time before doing a little bit of calculating. It's only two twenty so Niall won't be home at least in two hours.

"About two hours," he decides to tell Aisling.

"Watch SpongeBob now?" Aisling asks when Harry has done her hair, fixing the bun.

"Sure," Harry tells her.

Niall has explained how he has recorded SpongeBob, in case there isn't an episode on child's channel. Harry selects the recording and then tells Aisling once the episode is over, they will hang laundry. Aisling only nods, focusing her eyes on the telly.

Harry decides to snap a picture of her and he quickly sends it to Niall, typing a capture 'hairstyle of the day'. Niall answers a few minutes later with a smiley face.

  


A few hours later Harry hears a scratch on the front door and immediately realises Niall is coming back home. Aisling is focusing on a puzzle, not hearing a sound until Niall steps inside and yells 'hello' rather loudly.

"Daddy!" Aisling runs towards the hallway, earning a few chuckles from Harry who follows the little girl quickly.

"Hello darling," Niall says, picking his daughter up and holding her tightly.

"Hi Harry," Niall says over Aisling's shoulder, sending Harry a happy smile.

"Hi Niall. Was work okay?" Harry politely asks.

"It was fine," Niall sighs and Harry immediately knows Niall didn't enjoy working. Harry thinks it might be because he was missing Aisling.

"Did you have fun with Harry?" Niall asks Aisling once he places her back on the ground.

"Yes, Hazzy is silly!" Aisling states and Niall smiles shortly.

"How is Harry silly, love?"

"He is horsey," Aisling explains and Niall lifts his head, raising his eyebrows at Harry.

"Oh, I carried her home from the park," Harry explains and Niall smiles, now understanding what Aisling meant with horsey.

"Okay, dinner time young lady," Niall tells Aisling who giggles and runs to the kitchen. Harry starts putting on his winter coat, placing a beanie on his head and covering his curls.

"Harry?" Niall asks and Harry turns around.

"Did everything go alright today?"

Harry quickly explains everything he has done with Aisling, telling Niall they planned on going to the park again tomorrow. Niall nods at everything, asking a few more questions. Harry thinks Niall looks quite satisfied.

"See you tomorrow," he says to Niall.

"Yeah and Harry?"

"Yes?"

"Thank you," Niall breaths out.

"You don't have to thank me," Harry shrugs his shoulders before grinning a bit, waving at Niall and stepping outside the house.

  


It isn't until late in the evening when Niall notices Harry has done laundry. It's when Niall walks around downstairs, shutting all the lights off.

He stands at the utility room's door, looking at the fresh laundry in disbelief. He decides to text Harry although it's getting late.

_Harry, laundry isn't part of your job. You didn't have to do that. Thanks though._

Harry's answer comes in only seconds later and Niall huffs when he sees it.

_I know, I got bored when Aisling was sleeping and I had nothing better to do, sorry._

_It's alright but like I said, you didn't have to do that_

What Niall doesn't know is, ten miles north Harry is laying on his bed, typing in a rather inappropriate answer before quickly deleting it. The text said 'it's okay Niall, hanging your boxers was the highlight of my day'.

  


  


Next morning, Niall wakes up early and groans in frustration when he sees what time is it. He tiptoes to his bathroom, starting his morning with a nice and hot shower.

While he is showering, he starts thinking about Harry. He is glad he has found such a nice nanny who Aisling seems to adore. Harry is great with Aisling, better nanny than Niall could have ever asked for.

When he started looking for nannies, he never thought he would find a man around his age to look after Aisling. Niall thought the nanny would be either a young woman or someone old, someone who would have a hard time keeping up with Aisling.

Finding Harry was like a blessing in a way. Niall thinks it's easier for Aisling to have a male nanny around his age, simply because Aisling isn't that used to women being around. The only woman in her life is Niall's mother, besides her there isn't really a woman figure in Aisling's life.

Niall wonders if Harry's age and gender are part of the reason why Aisling is so fond of him. He thinks it could be, that maybe things would be completely different if Harry was a middle aged woman. 

After shower, Niall quietly makes his way to downstairs to cook some breakfast. He looks at the time, groaning since it's only a bit after seven. He begins to go through the fridge, trying to think what he could cook.

A minute later he decides to make pancakes, he hasn't made them in a while and they are one of Aisling's favourite dishes. She often asks for pancakes, especially breakfast time but Niall doesn't give in that often. He thinks she should eat healthy breakfast, porridge or eggs, not pancakes. He thinks he can make exceptions from time to time and it just so seems like this morning is an exception.

While cooking, he gets lost in his thoughts again. It seems like he can't stop thinking about Harry and recalling things the curly haired boy has done. He remembers that one Thursday when Aisling was having a bad day and Harry made it all better by simply braiding Aisling's hair.

He smiles to himself, thinking Harry is impossibly great. He reminds himself to thank Harry, even though it was only yesterday when he thanked the nanny and he said 'you don't have to thank me'.

"Daddy?" a small voice comes from behind him and he turns around.

Aisling is standing on the kitchen doorway, holding her teddy against her chest.

"Morning love," Niall gently tell her and crouches down, opening his arms. She walks over and lets Niall hold her and then, he easily picks her up.

"I'm making pancakes," Niall tells her and places a kiss on her temple.

"Yum," Aisling mumbles and rests her head on Niall's shoulder, nuzzling against his neck.

"Are you tired?" Niall asks while he goes back to cooking, trying to multitask between cooking and holding Aisling.

"Yes," Aisling mumbles.

"Where Hazzy?" Aisling asks much to Niall's surprise.

"Harry is coming soon darling," he answers.

"Okay," Aisling mumbles and takes a hold of Niall's shirt.

"I have to put you down soon my love so I can finish cooking," Niall softly says and squeezes Aisling a bit.

"Okay," she says and Niall carefully places her on a chair, giving some paper and pens to her so she can draw while Niall cooks.

"Pancakes are ready," Niall soon announces and chuckles when Aisling shrieks 'hurrah'.

He slices banana on Aisling's plate, also grabbing some blueberries and raspberries from the fridge, thinking at least Aisling should eat something healthy for breakfast.

He places the plate in front of her, pouring her a glass of milk before sitting down himself.

"Is it tasty?" Niall asks and laughs when Aisling nods, her mouth full of food. 

  


A few minutes later the doorbell rings and Niall smiles, knowing it's Harry who has just arrived.

"I'll open the door for Harry," Niall tells Aisling who just nods, complete focused on eating her pancakes. Niall chuckles, thinking Aisling has obviously inherited his eating skills.

"Morning Harry," Niall greets the nanny.

"Morning," Harry happily says and steps inside.

"Hope you're hungry, I made pancakes," Niall tells Harry.

"Oh no I ate already," Harry quickly says and puts his jacket on the clothing rag before taking off his shoes.

"None of that," Niall tells him and pats his shoulder.

"I guess I could eat a pancake," Harry mumbles and Niall chuckles a little, grinning at Harry who looks a bit ashamed.

"Morning Aisling," Harry greets the little girl after stepping into the kitchen.

"Morning morning Hazzy," Aisling happily says and grins.

Harry chuckles when he notices her teeth and mouth is blue from eating blueberries. He grabs a napkin, trying to wipe her face clean but Aisling shifts around, trying to avoid the cleaning.

"Darling," Niall smiles shortly from behind them.

"Silly Hazzy," Aisling informs and Harry chuckles a bit, deciding he should just clean Aisling's face more properly later.

"Do you want coffee?" Niall asks from Harry who simply nods, sitting down next to Aisling.

"You took my seat," Niall decides to joke around and he bursts out a huge laugh when Harry's face reddens and he almost jumps up, moving to the other side of the table.

"I was just joking," Niall informs and now Harry blushes even more.

"Sorry," he murmurs and Niall chuckles a bit.

  


During the day, Harry keeps noticing something Aisling does. She has a habit of chewing her thumb but also, she bites her nails. Harry knows it's a bad habit and he starts thinking if he should buy Aisling one of those bad-tasting nail polishes you get from pharmacies.

He decides to talk about it with Niall once he gets off from work.

When Niall finally comes back home, he is in a rush to start cooking dinner and along with that rush, Harry's earlier thoughts are forgotten.

  


It's not until he leaves when he remembers Aisling biting her nails. He mentally curses himself for forgetting to talk about it with Niall but he quickly decides to visit the pharmacy, just in case. He thinks it won't hurt anyone if he at least buys the nail polish.

The drive back home goes by quickly, Harry is happily humming along the radio and drumming his fingers on the steering wheel. He keeps thinking how much he enjoys working and suddenly, his mind wonders to next autumn.

It's months and months away but that is when Harry's job ends. He hasn't made any plans, he has no clue what he is going to do when Aisling starts school and he won't have his job anymore. He starts feeling anxious, thinking he should stop stressing because it's only the beginning of January, meaning he will have his job for almost eight months.

"Liam!" Harry shouts after opening the front door.

"In here wifey!" He hears his roommate shouting back.

He walks to the kitchen, spotting Liam and Zayn sitting on the table, finishing their dinner. They have ordered Chinese and Harry wonders if there is nothing left for him.

"We ordered for you," Liam informs and Harry nods, feeling a bit relieved he doesn't need to start cooking anything for himself.

"How was school?" Harry asks after sitting down.

"Oh you know, same old. How was work?" Liam asks.

Harry begins to tell about his day, talking about the things he has done with Aisling. He doesn't see the way both Liam and Zayn are looking at him, eyes filled with curiosity.

Harry tells how he bought the bad tasting nail polish for Aisling, wondering out loud if it is alright since he didn't ask Niall's permission. 

"Is this Niall person hot?" Zayn interrupts Harry's blabbering.

"I-I don't k-know," Harry stutters, shocked by Zayn's sudden question.

"Harry thinks he is," Liam comments and Harry immediately groans.

"Stop it," he warns his roommate who laughs, throwing a fried chicken ball towards Harry.

"You're such a child," Harry whines and now both Liam and Zayn are laughing.

"I hate you," Harry huffs.

"Only because we know the truth. You fancy him," Liam chuckles.

"I don't."

"You do."

"Shut up Liam."

"Whatever, Hazzy."

"Oi!" Harry warns and regrets telling Liam about the nickname Aisling has given him.

"Hazzy," Liam smiles at him and Harry groans, throwing the chicken ball right at his roommate's face.

"This is war," Liam curses.


	8. Chapter 8

It's a Wednesday morning, Niall, Harry and Aisling are all eating breakfast in silence.

"Hey Niall?" Harry carefully asks to get Niall's attention.

"Can I talk to you in private?" He continues and Niall frowns, not knowing if there is some sort of problem.

He walks to the hallway, turning around to meet Harry and waiting for the nanny to start talking.

"So I noticed Aisling is biting her nails," Harry starts and Niall nods.

"I bought her this bad-tasting nail polish but I just wanted to see if it's alright," he explains.

"Oh yeah, of course. That's a nasty habit," Niall tells him.

"So I can try it?" Harry asks and Niall nods, confirming it is perfectly alright to see if the nail polish works.

"You're thinking of everything," Niall comments and Harry blushes a little.

"You're going to be a great dad one day," he compliments and pats Harry's shoulder before going back to the kitchen.

Harry takes a moment to collect himself. He has a blush on his cheeks, thanks to Niall's compliment he simply wasn't expecting to hear. 

He also blushes because Niall is so nice. Harry wonders how it is possible for someone to look so nice and be a nice person, too. He has always thought guys like Niall are complete assholes, guys who look like Niall.

He looks like a some sort of Topman model, someone who looks flawless and beautiful. It's everything about him that makes him look so perfect. His dyed blonde hair, brown roots, his piercing blue eyes. His skin, his perfect and pale skin along with some cute little freckles on his nose.

His stubble, his rosy cheeks, long eyelashes. His body is great too, even though he is short and not that muscular, Harry thinks Niall looks great.

"Harry!" Niall shouts from the kitchen.

"Your coffee is getting cold!" He continues and Harry blushes again, realising he has been day-dreaming about Niall instead of calming down and going back to the kitchen.

"Sorry," he awkwardly mumbles after stepping back to the kitchen and grabbing a coffee mug.

"Aisling, Harry is going to paint your nails today," Niall tells the little girl who giggles.

"Then you won't bite them anymore," Niall continues.

"Okay," Aisling simply answers and grins happily. 

  


Once Niall is off to work, Harry takes Aisling upstairs to do her morning wash. While she brushes her teeth, Harry sits on the toilet seat, watching her and making sure she brushes everything.

"Alright let's clean your ears," Harry says once Aisling is done brushing her teeth.

"No," she immediately says and shakes her head.

"It's important to clean your ears," Harry gently explains but Aisling continues shaking her head.

"Pretty please," Harry tries and now, Aisling giggles and tilts her head, looking straight into Harry's eyes.

"Silly boy," she comments and Harry chuckles.

"Can silly boy please clean your ears?" Harry asks and pouts his lower lip.

"Okay," Aisling huffs and Harry pretends to cheer, throwing his arms up and grinning like a proper idiot.

He knows he doesn't necessarily have to do these things but he wants to help. He and Niall have never really talked about the things Harry should and shouldn't do and therefor he isn't completely sure what his job includes.

He knows if there is something he should do, Niall will mention it to him. Niall has never said anything about cleaning Aisling's ears but Harry still wants to do it, thinking there is no harm if he does it.

"All done," he informs Aisling who doesn't look too happy.

"Silly Hazzy," she huffs and crosses her arms against her chest.

"You don't like cleaning your ears do you?" Harry is mostly wondering out loud.

"Feels funny," the little girl informs.

"Shall we test that nail polish now?" Harry asks and Aisling immediately nods.

He thinks she doesn't understand what the nail polish is for, she probably thinks it's just regular nail polish to make her nails look prettier. Harry wonders how he is going to explain the situation to her so she will understand it.

"Alright come here," Harry says as he sits down, motioning Aisling to sit down on his lap. He wraps his arm around her, making sure she stays in place.

"Now stay still while I paint your nails alright?" He asks and Aisling nods, resting her head against Harry's chest.

"This is special nail polish," Harry explains while he starts painting Aisling's nails.

"It tastes quite bad so you shouldn't bite your nails," he continues explaining.

"Another hand please," he says once he is done with her right hand.

"Taste funny?" Aisling asks, clearly not understanding Harry's earlier explanation.

"Yes it tastes bad so don't put your fingers into your mouth," Harry clarifies.

"Okay Hazzy," she answers and Harry smiles shortly.

"All done now. Shall we do your hair?"

"Yes please."

  


Much to Harry's surprise, the nail polish seems to work. At some point of the day, Aisling tries biting her nails and shrieks when the bad taste enters her mouth. She informs she doesn't like it and Harry tells her not to bite her nails again.

  


When Niall gets home from work, Harry happily greets him and smiles widely.

"It's working!" He announces and Niall raises his brows, not having a clue what Harry is talking about.

"The nail polish Niall!" Harry continues and now Niall starts smiling too.

"Really?" He asks in disbelief.

"Yeah!"

"That's great, thank you so much Harry," Niall says and without too much thinking, he pulls Harry into a quick hug.

"I-it's alright," Harry stutters, blushing heavily and turning his gaze down on the floor.

"Daddy! Daddy!" Aisling shrieks and runs to the hallway, immediately clinging onto Niall's leg.

"Hello darling," Niall smiles shortly and bends down to pick Aisling up.

"Did you have a nice day?" He asks and places a kiss on her cheek.

"Yes! Hazzy paint nails," the little girl informs and pokes Niall's cheek.

"They look very pretty," Niall comments even though he can't see any difference in Aisling's nails.

"Thanks daddy," Aisling says and pinches Niall's nose.

"That's not a nice way to thank someone," Niall playfully says and Aisling huffs but kisses his cheek.

"Much better darling."

"Oh Harry, I got you money for the nail polish," Niall suddenly remembers.

"No no, it's alright. It wasn't expensive," Harry immediately says.

"How much was it?" Niall asks.

"Like seven euros."

"I'm paying you back," Niall says, trying to reach for his wallet which is in his back pocket.

"See you tomorrow," Harry suddenly comments and grabs his jacket.

"Harry," Niall groans as he realises what Harry is trying to do.

"Bye bye!" Harry rushes out of the door, grinning as he goes.

  


Once Harry is home, he is disappointed to see Liam isn't there, meaning he is once again alone. He doesn't really enjoy being by himself, it tends to make him miserable.

He quickly decides he doesn't want to be miserable and thinks he should distract himself. What would be a better way to distract myself than doing laundry? Harry silently wonders as he makes his way upstairs.

He grabs a basket full of his dirty laundry, happily humming along a song he heard on the radio as he throws his laundry into the washer. Soon, he puts the washer on and starts wondering what to do next.

He looks around his room, thinking maybe he could hoover. It was only three days ago he last hoovered but there's hardly any trouble to hoover again. After all, dust comes quicker than you'd think, Harry thinks as he goes downstairs to look for the hoover.

While he cleans, Liam opens the front door. Because Harry is cleaning, he doesn't hear a sound and that is why he freaks out when someone suddenly tickles his sides from behind.

"I'm armed!" Harry shouts from the top of his lungs, turning around and shoving the hoover against his attacker.

"Harry!" Liam groans when the hoover sticks on his shirt, sucking the fabric inside.

"Oh shit, sorry," Harry quickly turns off the hoover.

"Why are you sneaking on me?" Harry snaps, finally realising it's just his roommate and not some sort of dangerous burglar.

"I thought it was funny," Liam mutters while trying to adjust his now very wrinkled shirt.

"Well it wasn't," Harry comments with a serious tone.

"Why are you cleaning?" Liam changes the subject and Harry shrugs his shoulders.

"You missed me," his roommate realises and coos, poking Harry's cheek.

Harry quickly swats his hand away, mumbling angry words through his teeth. Liam laughs, shaking his head and backing away from Harry's room.

"I'll start cooking dinner," he informs and Harry nods, turning around and putting the hoover on.

Once he is done with hoovering, he goes downstairs to check if Liam is ready with dinner. Much to his surprise, dinner is already set and Liam is eating by himself, sitting in the darkness. Harry huffs, putting the lights on and causing his roommate to groan.

"You ruined my romantic dinner!" He protests and Harry huffs again.

"What did you cook?" He asks.

"Just some chicken, taste it I think it's pretty good," Liam mumbles while having fork full of food in his mouth.

"Suppose I could," Harry wonders to himself and sits down, grabbing a plate.

"It's good," Harry comments after the first few bites he has taken.

"Cheers mate," Liam chuckles and goes back to eating, doing disgusting and loud noises as he eats. Harry scrunches his nose, thinking Liam's eating habits are rather sickening.

"Can you stop doing that?" Harry finally asks when Liam does that one thing again that makes Harry shiver from disgust.

"Oh shush it," Liam scolds and pats Harry's hand.

"Fine," Harry huffs and stands up, taking his plate back to the kitchen.

"You're not even going to thank me?" Liam yells as Harry makes his way back to the stairs, planning on going to solve the laundry.

"Thanks!" Harry shouts, shaking his head a little.

Even though they argue quite often, Harry still loves living with Liam and he wouldn't changed it even if he could. Liam is his best friend, sure he might have unhealthy eating habits and he is a pain in the ass sometimes but he is still Harry's best and well, only friend.

"Great," Harry cheerfully says out loud when he notices the laundry machine is off, meaning he can start hanging his clean clothes.

He grabs his iPod, putting on a Kesha song that has been stuck in his head ever since he heard it on the radio. He starts singing along the music, not caring if Liam is going to hear or not. After all they have lived together for ages and Liam is used to Harry's singing.

"C'mon cause I know what I like and you're looking just like my type," Harry sings loudly as he shakes his hips and bum, hanging his clean clothes.

"Let's go for it just for tonight, c'mon, c'mon, c'mon," he yells and continues doing his ridiculous dance, throwing a few pairs of socks on the clotheshorse.

"Now don't even try to deny, we're both going home satisfied," he continues yelling and bends down to grab three pairs of boxers, blindly throwing them behind him.

"Let's go for it just for tonight, c'mon, c'mon -" he is just about to finish the chorus, throwing another pair of boxers behind him and then turning around, only to face a person standing in the middle of his room.

"C'mon," Harry whispers the last word, quickly taking his headphones off and looking at the person in front of him with wide eyes.

"I eh, here," Niall awkwardly says and hands over a pair of Harry's boxers, the ones who only a few seconds ago where covering Niall's head. Apparently Harry is great at blind-throwing things, seeing as he somehow managed to throw his Donald Duck-boxers right on Niall's head.

"I'm so sorry," Harry whispers and blushes furiously, wanting to hide under his bed and to just disappear forever.

He doesn't even question what Niall is doing at his house, standing in the middle of his bedroom. He can't do anything but to look at Niall with wide eyes while blushing heavily, his heart beating loudly.

"I just came to give you this," Niall mumbles and hands something over.

Harry blushes even more when he notices his phone which he has obviously forgotten to Niall's place. He quickly takes it, mumbling something that hopefully sounds like a 'thank you'.

"I guess I'll let you go back to your laundry then," Niall tries to joke but realising too late how dry his joke actually is.

"T-thanks," Harry stutters and looks at the ground, avoiding Niall's gaze.

"I'll see you tomorrow then," Niall says with a normal tone and turns around, ready to leave.

"H-how did you..?" Harry tries to ask but fails and ends his question short.

"Your roommate let me in," Niall realises and Harry nods, thinking it's quite obvious how Niall got in.

"Aisling is waiting in the car so I better run," Niall tells him and Harry nods again, blushing furiously and looking down at his feet.

"You should sing more often, you have a lovely voice," Niall suddenly comments and with that, he is out of the door and Harry can hear him going downstairs.

He is left alone in his room with a blush on his cheeks and his heartbeat completely uneven. He sighs and starts whimpering, hiding his face under his palms.

"Oh no no no," he whimpers out loud, sitting down on his bed.

"No no no," he continues and doesn't even hear the footsteps as someone steps into his room.

"That bad, huh?" Liam comments and sits down next to him.

"I threw my lucky boxers on his head," Harry whispers and stiffens when Liam lets out a huge laugh.

"Mate you're," Liam manages to say and lets out another laugh which starts to sound more like a guffaw.

"You're brilliant," he finishes and giggles, poking Harry's side.

"Go away," Harry mumbles and hides under his palms.

"Aww poor you," Liam coos and tries to hug Harry who whimpers and shift away from his roommate.

"Oh stop it Haz, it's not that bad," Liam reassures and pats Harry's back.

"I'm an idiot," Harry whimpers.

"Well that I can confirm," Liam jokes and groans when Harry hits his shoulder.

"I hate you," he murmurs, feeling quite annoyed.

"Come on grumpy," Liam says and gets up, picking up Harry's lucky boxers and much to Harry's surprise, putting them on his head.

"Let's have a dance party," Liam announces and starts wiggling his bum, soon earning a few quiet laughs from Harry.

"Come on mister sexy," Liam offers his hand to Harry who takes it, letting his roommate pull him up.

"Party rock is in the house tonight!" Liam yells and Harry soon joins him, realising he knows the song Liam is singing.

"Everybody just have a good time!" Harry yells loudly and Liam laughs, shaking his bum and looking absolutely ridiculous.

  


  


On Thursday, Harry is almost forty minutes early and when he rings Niall's doorbell, he can't help but to hope Niall won't be mad that he is so early.

The reason why Harry is so early is, Liam woke him up impossibly early and asked for a ride to campus. Liam's car is being repaired and because Harry is nice, he drove his roommate to school. He decided it was pointless to go back home so he thought it was alright to show up work earlier than needed.

He is also horrified because of what happened last night. Harry still feels embarrassed, he couldn't even sleep because he was mentally cursing himself. He can't believe what happened, of course that had to happen, it's just his luck.

Throwing your Donald Duck boxers on your roommate's head would have been fine, it would have been a laugh but when the person is someone you work for, it's a disaster. Harry is so ashamed and he can only hope Niall will never mention the subject. He knows that if he even hears the name Donald Duck, he might die from embarrassment.

"Oh Harry, you're early," Niall breathes out after opening the door.

"Yeah, I'm sorry," Harry awkwardly mumbles.

"It's alright. Can you make Aisling some breakfast, I need to shower," Niall lets out before stepping aside, letting Harry in.

"Sure," Harry agrees, taking off his coat and walking into the kitchen. He tries to avoid thinking about the fact that Niall was only wearing pyjama pants and Harry saw his bare torso, small amount of chest hair and his broad shoulders and nice biceps. His hair was a complete mess and Harry liked it quite a bit, thinking morning Niall looked impossibly attractive.

Luckily, Niall has rushed off, leaving Harry by himself. Not a word about yesterday, much to Harry's relief. He thinks he should let the subject go and act as normal as possible. He questions whether Niall has forgotten about the incident already, thinking Niall could have, after all it wasn't a big deal. Or so Harry wants to think.

"Hazzy!" Harry suddenly hears and he turns around, only to see Aisling standing in the kitchen doorway in her pyjamas.

"Morning Aisling. Should we change your clothes before eating breakfast?" Harry asks but Aisling immediately shakes her head.

"Breakfast for Aisling and daddy," she demands and Harry smiles shortly.

"Alright. How about eggs and some toast?" He offers and Aisling nods.

Harry is done with breakfast when Niall steps into the kitchen, his hair still wet. Harry offers him a plate and a fresh cup of coffee, earning a slightly shocked look from Niall.

"You didn't have to," he starts but Harry immediately shakes his hand, waving Niall off.

"Yeah yeah," he playfully says before sitting down.

"Aren't you eating?" Niall questions once he realises Harry isn't eating.

"Oh no I ate already," Harry quickly tells Niall.

"Have at least coffee then," Niall offers and Harry nods, getting up and pouring a cup for himself.

Niall eats in a hurry, he has to leave in ten minutes and he knows there is a chance he will be late for work. While he eats, Harry sips his coffee, thinking it's not uncomfortable after all. In fact, the atmosphere seems normal and it's like nothing has happened. Harry sighs in relief, thinking Niall must have forgotten about yesterday already.

"Alright I have to get going," Niall informs before getting up.

"Have a nice day," he then tells to Harry before going over to Aisling, bending down and kissing her forehead.

"Bye my darling," he says and smiles gently at his daughter.

"Bye daddy."

  


Harry and Aisling have a nice day together, first Harry takes Aisling out for a walk and then they decide to bake some rolls together. Or it's mainly Harry who is baking, Aisling only sits and shouts commands, causing Harry to chuckle.

After lunch, Aisling takes a quick nap while Harry wipes floors downstairs. He knows he doesn't have to but then again, there is nothing better to do. He can only hope Niall won't say anything about it because really, it's not a big deal.

In the afternoon, Harry and Aisling paint together and watch some telly. Harry also suggests they could go out for lunch the next day and Aisling seems excited. Harry knows tomorrow is Friday and he feels a bit sad for the upcoming weekend.

It's not like Harry doesn't love the weekends, he does, but he has grown to love his job. His job gives his life a meaning and he genuinely likes spending time with Aisling. He only hopes he would get to spend more time with Niall, too.

When Niall finally comes home around five, Harry knows it's time for him to leave again. He watches Niall hugging Aisling, making her giggle and she tells how silly Harry was again today.

"What did you do to be so silly?" Niall questions once Aisling has gone to the kitchen.

"Well I think it's when we painted, she said I can't paint," Harry explains and Niall chuckles.

"She painted something for you," Harry suddenly remembers and goes to the living room, searching for the right paper. He spots it and hands it over to Niall.

Niall watches the picture in amusement. Aisling has painted four people and it's not hard to tell who the people are, even though a four year old's painting skills aren't that great.

In the picture, Niall and Aisling are standing in the middle. Next to Aisling is obviously standing Niall's mum, Aisling's grandma, but it's the last person that shocks Niall the most. Next to Niall, Aisling has painted another man with green eyes and curly brown hair. Harry.

"She eh, she said something about people daddy likes," Harry awkwardly explains and scratches the back of his neck.

"Oh well, it's nice. I eh, thanks," Niall struggles with his words, still taken aback by the picture his daughter painted.

"Harry," Niall suddenly says and looks at Harry with raised eyebrows.

"Why do I smell washing agent?"

Harry shrugs his shoulders but Niall continues to look at him, his blue eyes almost drilling into Harry's green ones.

"I might have wiped the floors just a little," Harry explains with a small voice.

Niall huffs and shakes his head.

"I'm paying you too little," he then says and now it's Harry's turn to shake his head.

"It's nothing, really."

"You don't need to clean around," Niall reminds Harry who just nods quickly.

"Donald," Niall adds and there it is. The one word Harry has feared so much. It's a sign, a proof that Niall remembers after all.

"Oh come on, don't be like that," Niall playfully says when Harry starts blushing and looks like he wants to disappear into a thin air.

"I'm sorry," Harry quietly mumbles and starts playing with his fingers, his gaze facing the floor.

"Harry, it was funny. You made me laugh and I don't get to laugh that often," Niall gently says and pats Harry's shoulder, trying to act reassuringly.

"It's alright," he continues talking and Harry nods, just a little bit.

"It's alright," Harry almost whispers and hesitantly looks at Niall who is grinning.

"Do you actually wear those things?" He chuckles and Harry blushes a bit more.

"Y-Yeah," he stutters, hoping he will soon find his confidence. He knows he is a blushing mess and it must show, Niall must see it.

"Cute," Niall decides to comment and Harry gulps, not knowing what to say.

"I eh, I'll see you tomorrow," he finally says and walks to the hallway, mentally cursing himself for not knowing what to say.

He silently curses even more when he remembers he forgot to say something. He turns around, taking a breath and trying to man up as he is facing Niall again.

"Is it alright if I take Aisling out for lunch tomorrow?"

"Sure, I'll leave some money on the kitchen counter for that," Niall immediately answers and smiles at Harry whose face is still completely red.

"Oh no you don't have to," Harry says and Niall groans much to Harry's surprise.

"Yes, I do, thank you Harry."

"Alright well, bye," Harry says and quickly exits the door before Niall can say anything else.

"Bye, Donald," Niall says after the front door has slammed shut, meaning Harry didn't hear his last words. Niall smiles shortly, thinking Harry is both way too nice and way too funny.


	9. Chapter 9

On Saturday morning, Niall feels absolutely awful. His throat hurts and he can barely speak, and he also has a high fever.

He somehow manages to make some breakfast for Aisling and while she is eating, he calls his mother. Unfortunately, she is working and can't come to help Niall so the next option is his dad. Niall silently curses when his father Bobby informs he is not in town but visiting his brother, who lives on the other side of the country.

"Daddy!" Aisling yells from the kitchen and Niall sighs, slowly trudging back to the kitchen.

"All done," Aisling informs and points at her plate.

Niall sniffles, collecting her empty plate and putting it into the dishwasher.

"Let's watch some telly," Niall tells Aisling who jumps to the living room.

It's one of those days when unfortunately, Aisling seems to have way too much energy and Niall already knows he can't survive the whole day alone. He needs someone to help out with Aisling but there isn't really anyone left to call.

He sits on the couch, snuggling under a blanket and shivering heavily. He sniffles again and sneezes right after that, causing Aisling to giggle.

Suddenly a thought crosses Niall's mind. Maybe he could call Harry. He knows it's possible that the nanny has plans, after all it's Saturday and maybe Harry wants to be with his friends. He thinks he could still try to call Harry.

He feels his pockets, realising he left his phone on the kitchen counter.

"Aisling love," he croaks.

"Could you go to the kitchen and get daddy's phone from the counter?" He asks and Aisling nods, running to the kitchen and bringing Niall's phone.

"Thank you darling," Niall croaks and tries to smile at his daughter.

"Daddy sick?" Aisling asks with wide eyes.

"Yes, I'm not feeling so well," Niall tells her and she nods, trying to shift closer to Niall.

"Don't come so close darling, I don't want you to get sick too," Niall softly says and she nods.

"I'm going to call Harry and ask if he could come here to play with you," he informs and Aisling immediately lets out an excited shriek.

"Hazzy!"

"Let's see if Hazzy could come," Niall mumbles and dials Harry's number.

"Hi Niall," he hears a happy voice answering on the other end of the line.

"Hi Harry," Niall croaks, his voice breaking a bit.

"Oh you don't sound that good, is everything alright?" Harry sounds worried.

"I'm sick," Niall croaks.

"And you need me to watch Aisling," Harry says and Niall wants to laugh because it's like Harry is reading his mind.

"If that's not too much to ask, only for a few hours. And if you have plans please don't cancel them, I'll figure something out," Niall manages to say without his voice breaking.

"I'm leaving in five," Harry says and right after that, Niall hears 'bye' and a click.

He looks at his phone in disbelief. He simply can't believe it was so easy, Harry didn't seem to mind at all. He shakes his head a little, thinking Harry is just as goofy as always.

"Harry is coming soon," Niall tells to Aisling who gets excited.

"Yes yes be with Hazzy!" She happily informs.

"Yes and daddy can sleep," Niall mostly mumbles to himself, already craving some much needed sleep.

 

Fifteen minutes later the doorbell rings and Niall groans, knowing he has to get up because Aisling doesn't know how to open the front door. Aisling is already running to the hallway and he slowly makes his way there, opening the front door while holding his blanket tightly around his body.

"Hazzy!" Aisling yells and jumps up and down.

"Hello Aisling," Harry happily says and then looks at Niall, his eyes widening.

"You look horrible," he blurts out and blushes right after that.

"Thanks," Niall huffs.

"Sorry," Harry murmurs and steps inside, now avoiding to make an eye-contact with Niall.

Niall trudges back to the living room, Aisling following his footsteps. When he sits down on the couch, Aisling scoops close to him and snuggles against his side, pulling the blanket over her as well.

"Darling, I don't want you to get sick," Niall whispers and strokes her hair.

"Nu-uh," Aisling shakes her head and rests it against Niall's arm.

"Hazzy, daddy is sick," Aisling informs the nanny who has stepped into the living room, sitting down on an armchair.

"I know," Harry answers and looks at Niall with worried eyes.

"How are you feeling? Have you taken any medicine? How much fever do you have?" Harry asks bunch of questions and Niall quickly huffs, shaking his head.

"I don't need a nurse," he croaks and now it's Harry's turn to huff.

"I was just checking," he protests.

"I'm fine, I just need to sleep this off," Niall continues croaking.

"I could take Aisling out?" Harry offers and before Niall can say anything, Aisling is already bouncing on the couch.

"Yes yes yes," she happily announces.

"What do you want to do Aisling?" Harry asks and she gets up, running to Harry and tugging his jeans.

"Go park Hazzy," she says and Harry smiles shortly before getting up.

"Hold on just a second," Harry tells the little girl who pouts her lower lip and sits down on the floor.

Harry goes to the hallway, getting a bag from his coat pocket. He brought some flu medicine for Niall, just in case he didn't have any. He walks to the kitchen, getting a glass of water.

"Here you go," he says and offers the glass to Niall.

"And take one of these," he continues, opening the medicine bottle and getting one pill out.

"Harry," Niall groans.

"None of that," Harry scolds him and watches Niall taking the pill, gulping it down with the water.

"Now your temperature," Harry says and pulls out a thermometer from his bag.

"Harreeh," Niall croaks.

"Right give me that," Harry comments and takes the glass from Niall, putting it on the floor.

He lifts Niall's arm up, slipping the thermometer under Niall's shirt and placing it on his armpit. He gently puts Niall's arm down, offering him a smile.

"And now we'll wait," he sighs and sits down next to Niall.

"I told you I don't need a nurse," Niall croaks.

"Shush," Harry scolds and pats Niall's shoulder.

"Daddy," Aisling suddenly says and gets up, making her way to the couch.

"Sick daddy," she informs, holding her arms up, wanting Niall to pick her up.

"I can't hold you now darling," Niall mumbles, feeling a pinch in his heart when Aisling looks a bit sad.

"Go park Hazzy?" She asks, turning her head to Harry.

"In a minute Aisling," Harry tells her and picks her up, placing her on his lap.

When the thermometer finally beeps, Niall pulls it out and checks his temperature. It's higher than he thought, reaching just over 39 Celsius.

"39.2," he croaks.

"The medicine should work soon so go to bed and try to get some sleep," Harry tells him and Niall nods, slowly getting up from the couch.

"Have fun at the park darling," Niall croaks to Aisling who nods.

"Yes please," she says and Niall smiles shortly.

"Thank you Harry," he suddenly thanks the nanny, realising he hasn't said it yet.

"Shush it," Harry immediately answers, shaking his head and getting up from the couch.

 

 

"Niall," Harry calls his name softly, stroking his hair.

"Niall," he says again, this time earning a reaction from Niall who groans in his sleep, trying to swat Harry's hand away.

"I made you some soup," Harry continues speaking while stroking Niall's hair.

"Ugh," Niall groans and finally opens his eyes, immediately spotting Harry who is on his knees next to the bed.

"You what?" Niall croaks.

"I made soup. Do you want me to bring it here?" Harry gently asks.

He flips his hand over, pressing the back of his hand against Niall's forehead, trying to feel if his fever is still high.

"It's alright, I can get up," Niall croaks and tries to sit up.

"Oh no let me," Harry blurts out and removes the covers, easily picking Niall up on his arms.

"Harreeh," Niall immediately protest when Harry starts carrying him bridal style.

"Niallll," Harry says and Niall knows there is no point to protest, it's quite clear Harry has decided to carry him downstairs and there is nothing he can do to stop the nanny.

"Where's Aisling?" Niall asks.

"Watching telly," Harry says and puts Niall down on a chair.

"Hold on I'll get a blanket for you," he realises and almost runs to the living room, grabbing a blanket so Niall won't get cold.

"You are worse than my ma," Niall croaks once Harry is back.

Harry decides to ignore his words, putting some soup on a bowl and handing it to Niall.

"I'll check on Aisling," Harry suddenly speaks up and exits the kitchen, making his way to the living room.

He smiles shortly when he sees Aisling laying on the couch, watching SpongeBob and holding a blanket against her chest. Harry decides she is perfectly fine by herself so he goes back to the kitchen, thinking he should make some tea for Niall.

"I'll make some tea for you," he informs Niall who is eating his soup.

"You don't have to," Niall protests.

"Shut up," Harry playfully says.

"You are worse than ma," he hears Niall murmuring and he chuckles, not minding Niall's grumpiness.

"I can play with Aisling if you want to continue sleeping," Harry says and hands over the mug of tea he has just made, making a cup for himself too.

"Oh no it's okay, I'm feeling better already," Niall quickly answers and smiles at the nanny who sits opposite of him, sipping his tea.

"You don't look any better," Harry comments.

"Maybe you could stay for another hour," Niall mumbles, feeling a bit ashamed for keeping Harry around for so long on his day off.

"I'll pay you," Niall continues mumbling.

"No you won't," Harry immediately protests.

"I will."

"I'm not accepting it," Harry says with a serious tone.

"Harry. You're watching over Aisling, meaning you're doing your job. I will pay you," Niall tells and looks at Harry, his blue eyes looking a bit watery because he has a fever.

"Fine you can give me ten euros," Harry huffs.

"Aren't you cheap," Niall decides to joke and Harry bursts out a huge laugh.

They both laugh for a minute and when Niall finally calms down, he wipes tears off of his eyes. His stomach hurts from laughing so hard and he thinks this is the most fun he has had in ages.

Harry starts putting the dirty dishes away, placing them on the dishwasher.

"Go get some sleep," he orders Niall who huffs but gets up, making his way back downstairs.

 

Harry knows Niall said he should only stay for another hour but when the hour passes by and Niall still isn't up, Harry thinks there is no harm if he doesn't wake the sick man up just yet.

Instead of waking Niall up, Harry spends the next hours playing with Aisling. They have fun together, they solve puzzles, Aisling paints for a while and Harry reads a book to her.

When it's been three hours and it's four o'clock, Harry decides to start cooking some dinner. Niall is still sleeping, Harry knows because he checked on him earlier. He thought Niall looked adorable, sleeping peacefully, looking quite comfortable.

"What cooking Hazzy?" Aisling asks and tilts her head, looking into Harry's eyes.

"Pasta with tuna sauce," Harry tells the little girl, hoping she likes tuna.

"Yum," is Aisling's answer.

Harry puts the radio on, smiling shortly when Aisling starts shrieking the song lyrics even though she obviously doesn't know the song. Harry finishes the dinner, tasting the sauce and thinking it's quite delicious.

"I'll go wake your dad up," he tells Aisling who nods and goes back to her colouring book she has been colouring while Harry cooked.

He climbs up the stairs, tip toeing to Niall's door and peeking inside. He smiles when he sees Niall is still asleep.

"Niall," Harry whispers and makes his way to the side of the bed, sitting down and gently shaking Niall's shoulder.

"Niall," he repeats himself and smiles when Niall starts fluttering his eyes open.

"What time is it?" He croaks once his eyes are open.

"Four thirty," Harry tells him and laughs when Niall groans loudly.

"Harry! I told you, just an hour," Niall says and sits up.

"Yeah well I figured I'd let you sleep," Harry shrugs his shoulders.

"You're getting a pay raise."

"No," Harry immediately says.

"Shut up," Niall warns him and Harry closes his mouth, looking a bit ashamed.

"Harry," Niall then says with a gentle tone.

"Yeah?"

"I can't get up if you continue sitting on my sheet."

Harry blushes heavily and jumps up, causing Niall to chuckle while he gets up, following Harry to downstairs.

"Are you feeling better?" Harry asks when they step inside the kitchen.

"Yeah, sleeping really helped."

"Good. Let's get you some dinner then," Harry continues and grabs two plates, putting the food on them and handing them over to Niall.

"You're not eating?" Niall asks, sounding a bit confused.

"Well I figured I could go home," the nanny mumbles.

"Of course," Niall quickly answers.

"Hold on I'll go get my wallet," he then tells and gets up, making his way upstairs.

Harry quickly tells Aisling goodbye, going to the hallway and planning on leaving before Niall can offer any money. He doesn't want it, that is not why he came to watch Aisling. He simply wanted to help because he cares and he doesn't think taking money is right.

"Harry," he hears Niall's voice just when he is about to open the front door.

"Shit," Harry whispers to himself and turns around, blushing heavily.

"Take it," Niall demands as he hands over a fifty euro bill.

"I don't need it," Harry shakes his head.

"Fine, get a contagion then," Niall says and before Harry can react, Niall is leaning in and placing a quick and barely-there kiss on Harry's cheek.

"You're welcome, Donald," Niall chuckles and turns around, walking back to the kitchen.

Harry opens the front door with shaky hands, stepping outside and taking a few deep breaths as he walks over to his car. His mind is spinning around and he knows he is a mess, a blushing and embarrassing mess.

He blushes because, Niall just called him Donald. He can't believe Niall still remembers it and he thinks it's rather embarrassing. What makes him blush even more is the fact that Niall just gave a kiss on his cheek.

It was just a tiny little peck, Niall's lips didn't even touch his skin properly and yet, Harry is a complete mess. He silently curses himself, knowing he is over-thinking and analysing everything. He knows it was just a joke, Niall was joking around and he shouldn't take it too seriously. Still, he finds himself raising his hand to touch his cheek.

 

 

On Monday morning, Harry wakes up happy, knowing he is going to see Aisling and Niall soon. It's funny, how much Harry looks forward to seeing them, especially after the weekend.

The past weekend wasn't so typical since Harry spend almost the whole Saturday with them, looking after Aisling and taking care of sick Niall. He blushes, remembering the kiss Niall gave him. He also chuckles because Niall joked about giving Harry a contagion but nothing happened, Harry is as healthy as a horse.

"Hi Harry," Niall greets him after opening the front door.

"Hi Niall," Harry happily says and steps inside.

"You feeling alright?" Niall playfully asks and Harry blushes a little and nods.

"Aisling is eating breakfast and I need to shower," Niall informs and Harry nods again, making his way to the kitchen where Aisling is eating her morning porridge.

"Morning Aisling," Harry says before turning around to see if Niall has made coffee yet.

"Morning morning," Aisling greets Harry and goes back to eating her porridge.

For some reason, it seems like Aisling isn't her charming self today and Harry starts wondering if something is wrong. He shakes the thought away and starts making coffee, thinking Niall will appreciate it.

While he waits for the coffee to be ready, he takes a look at Aisling. He frowns, trying to tell if there is something wrong or not.

"How are you Aisling?" Harry asks, thinking maybe her answer will give some hints to him.

"Tired," she mumbles and there, Harry has his answer.

He thinks maybe the little girl slept badly and is simply tired. He takes a mental note to ask Niall about it and he also thinks he should ask for some tips how to cheer Aisling up. If the little girl is not in a good mood, Harry wants to try his everything to cheer her up.

When the coffee is ready, Harry pours a mug for himself, walking over to the fridge to grab a milk bottle. He sits opposite of Aisling, pouring milk into his coffee and mixing it with a spoon.

"What do you want to do today?" He asks from Aisling who is just finishing her porridge.

Much to Harry's surprise, Aisling only shrugs her shoulders, not giving a proper answer. He is shocked, simply because he has never seen Aisling like this before.

"Do you want breakfast Harry?" Niall suddenly asks from behind him and he turns around, looking at Niall who has changed into his work clothes, his hair still wet from the shower. Harry thinks he looks great and he blushes at the thought, quickly turning back to staring his coffee mug.

"I ate already," Harry awkwardly answers.

"There's some coffee for you," he then mumbles, hoping Niall can hear him.

"Thanks," Niall simply says.

"Alright I'm going now," Niall informs after finishing his coffee. He walks over to Aisling, bending down to place a kiss on top of her hair.

"Bye my darling," he says, kissing her forehead and stroking her curls.

"Bye bye daddy," Aisling mumbles and looks up to her father.

"I love you," Niall softly tells her.

"Love you," Aisling answers and Niall places one more kiss on her forehead.

"Harry, a word?" He then asks, looking at Harry who simply nods and gets up from his seat.

"Is everything alright with Aisling?" Harry asks, lowering his voice as they walk to the hallway.

"Oh, you saw it," Niall comments and Harry nods.

"She didn't get much sleep last night, she's just a bit tired. Do you think you could just stay inside today and maybe watch movies or something?" Niall asks and Harry nods again.

"You could try to cheer her up a bit though," Niall continues.

"Is there anything specific I could do?" Harry questions.

"Well watching SpongeBob should work," Niall smiles and Harry chuckles a bit.

"Alright well, have a good day," Harry wishes.

"Thanks, you too. See you in the evening." And with that, Niall is gone and Harry is left alone in the hallway.

 

The morning goes by quickly, Harry and Aisling have been just laying on the couch watching SpongeBob. Harry has tried to ask if she wants to do something else but every time he has asked, she simply shook her head.

Around twelve, Harry starts cooking lunch for them and Aisling joins him, drawing something while Harry cooks. He doesn't make anything fancy, just some sausages and mashed potatoes.

After lunch, they play with Aisling's dolls and Harry does their hair. He feels happy when Aisling giggles a little, telling the dolls look pretty.

A while later, Aisling takes a nap and Harry makes sure not to let her sleep for too long. He does the dishes, keeping the track of time and once the hour has passed, he goes upstairs to wake the little girl up.

The whole afternoon goes by quickly, they just watch some telly together and Aisling keeps quiet. Harry begins to feel desperate because he wants the little girl to be happy and right now, she doesn't look happy at all.

He tries to think about something that could cheer Aisling up. It's obvious how her mood isn't the best one possible and Harry is determined to make the little girl happy again. He can't stand the sight of miserable Aisling, simple because it's heart-breaking and Harry wants to see her smiling.

"Alright let's dance," Harry finally comes up with a good idea.

"Why?" Aisling asks, looking at Harry with wide eyes.

"Because it's fun, come on I'll put Backstreet Boys on so we can dance," Harry says and Aisling seems to hesitate but ends up nodding. Harry quickly searches for a CD, knowing Niall keeps them somewhere around the living room. He finds one, putting it on the CD player and turning the volume on.

He grabs Aisling's hands, helping her to get up from the couch. She giggles a bit when Harry starts dancing, doing a ridiculous dance move. Soon, they are both jumping around the living room, Aisling occasionally throwing her arms up. Harry tries to do some silly dance moves, causing Aisling to giggle.

"Do you think we could ballroom dance?" Harry asks when the song changes into Incomplete, a slower song.

"Yes please," Aisling immediately says.

"May I have this dance?" Harry asks as he goes down on one knee, pretending to propose Aisling.

"Yes, silly Hazzy," Aisling giggles. Harry picks her up, holding her in his arms.

"Okay put your left hand on my shoulder," Harry says and Aisling obeys, grabbing a hold of Harry's shirt.

"Now give me your right one," Harry says and holds Aisling up with his left hand, grabbing her small hand into his right one as he begins to move. Even though the song isn't waltz, Harry waltzes and occasionally spins around a little, causing Aisling to shriek and giggle loudly.

"We are such great ballroom dancers, don't you think?" Harry asks as he keeps on dancing, taking long steps around the room.

"We the best," Aisling comments.

"You are absolutely right Aisling," Harry smiles.

They continue dancing, Aisling giggling and still keeping her hold on Harry's shirt. Harry  bends down a bit, causing Aisling to laugh loudly. Neither of them hear the front door opening as Niall comes home from work.

Niall steps into the living room, seeing Harry and Aisling dancing. It isn't until a few seconds later when Harry spots Niall, immediately blushing like mad.

"Hazzy," Aisling whines as Harry puts her back on the ground.

"Daddy!" She then shrieks when she sees Niall and runs to him, clinging onto his leg.

"Hello there darling," Niall says and bends down to pick her up.

"Were you and Harry dancing?" He asks, kissing her cheek.

"Yes! Funny Hazzy," Aisling says and pinches Niall's cheek.

"He is very funny, isn't he?" Niall playfully asks and causes Harry's blush to grow even deeper.

"I'll be going now," he mumbles to Niall who nods.

"See you tomorrow," Niall happily says.

"Bye Hazzy," Aisling waves at the nanny who smiles shortly and waves back.


	10. Chapter 10

"Harry you're phone is ringing!"

"HARRY!"

"Oi wifey!"

"Alright alright Liam!"

Harry runs down the stairs, spotting his roommate sitting on the couch with Zayn. Harry isn't too surprised to see Liam's not-really-boyfriend-but-kind-of hanging in their house, after all Zayn spends at least four days a week there.

"Where's my phone?" Harry questions.

"I don't know, I just heard it ringing," Liam grins and Harry feels like smacking him in the head with a pillow.

"You're so annoying, I can't deal with you right now," Harry huffs and walks to their kitchen, spotting his phone on the counter.

"Yeah Harry is on his period," Harry suddenly hears Liam's voice from the living room.

"I heard that!" He shouts and hears Liam laughing.

Strangely enough, Niall has tried to call him two times. Harry frowns, thinking why on earth would Niall be calling him on a week day evening at nine thirty but he quickly calls him back, thinking it must be something urgent.

"Hello," Niall answers after two rings.

"Hi, you called," Harry starts.

"Yeah, do you have a minute?"

"Sure," Harry answers and hops on the counter, wanting to sit down.

"Would be alright if we did a teaching plan for you and Aisling?" Niall asks.

"Of course, that sounds great," Harry quickly agrees.

"Could you come a bit earlier tomorrow?"

"I can do that," Harry agrees and he hears Niall chuckling for some reason.

"You don't have to do that if you don't want to," Niall clears out.

"It's not a problem, really," Harry quickly reassures.

"Alright well, see you in the morning."

"Goodnight."

"Night."

"Was that Niall?" Liam asks when Harry walks out of the kitchen, holding his phone, a stupid smirk on his face.

"Yeah," Harry answers and sits down on the other end of the couch, wanting to keep his distance from his roommate and Zayn. They are cuddled together, Zayn sitting between Liam's legs and Liam holding his kind-of-boyfriend tightly.

"I knew it! It's that stupid smirk on your face," Liam comments.

"Shut up," Harry murmurs and blushes heavily.

"You're in love," Zayn teases him and Harry groans, quickly getting up and escaping the room.

"Zayn's right!" He hears Liam yelling from the living room and he huffs, thinking those two are just being stupid. It's not like they know anything since Harry doesn't talk about his feelings with them.

Besides, Harry doesn't understand what he feels but he knows it's not love. Maybe a small crush but definitely not love. He can't be in love, not after so short amount of time. It's not possible, Harry silently thinks to himself.

  


  


The next morning, Harry wakes up early and takes a quick shower. He isn't sure when he should go to Niall's but he decides to leave as soon as he is ready.

After he has showered, he tries to do something to his hair. It's a complete mess, just like most of the times but for some reason, Harry is determined to fix his hair. It's not like he is trying to impress someone, he just thinks there's no harm in trying to look good. For himself. Or Niall.

He picks up his clothes carefully, ending up wearing a long sleeved jumper along with some dark blue skinny jeans. The complete look is casual but then again, Harry doesn't own very standing up clothing and he only owns two pairs of shoes. Black and white Converse.

Harry wonders what Niall wants him to teach to Aisling. He thinks possibly reading and writing, Aisling is in the age where some children start learning those things and Harry thinks trying is never a bad option. He starts wondering if he should buy some study book for Aisling.

"Morning Niall," Harry greets after the Irish man has opened the front door.

"Morning. Did you sleep well?" Niall asks while Harry is taking off his shoes.

"Like a baby. You?"

"Oh I slept just fine," Niall says and then motions Harry to come to the kitchen.

"So about the teaching plan," Niall says after Harry has sat down.

"Hold that thought. Coffee?" He asks before Harry can say anything.

"Sure," Harry politely agrees.

"You'd teach her, right?" Niall hesitantly asks when he realises he hasn't even asked if Harry is actually up for the idea.

"Of course."

"Maybe you should start with something simple," Niall suggests while making the coffee.

"Yeah, I still have my old books so I could go through them," Harry explains.

"That sounds like a great idea," Niall turns around a bit and smiles at Harry.

"I could start with animals, numbers and other easy stuff," Harry is mostly mumbling to himself.

"Yeah," Niall agrees.

"Eventually I could teach writing and reading," Harry continues wondering out loud.

"You don't have to do that, she'll learn in school," Niall quickly points out and sits down to wait for the coffee to be ready.

"I could," Harry starts to argue, making an eye-contact with Niall.

"You don't have to."

"I want to," Harry says with a serious tone.

"Well I guess you could," Niall mumbles and gets up, grabbing two mugs and pouring coffee into them.

"Have you eaten breakfast?" He asks while handing over Harry's coffee mug.

"Yeah."

They both fall into a silence. It doesn't feel uncomfortable, in fact Harry kind of enjoys it. He likes how easy it is to be with Niall, it feels very natural and even the silence never bothers him too much. He thinks it's important they can be quiet without feeling awkward about it.

Niall begins to read the newspaper and offers a page to Harry. He smiles and takes the paper even though he's not really interested in reading the news. Instead of reading, he peeks at Niall from time to time, smiling to himself and feeling quite happy.

"You sure you don't want breakfast?" Niall asks after minutes of silence.

"No I'm good thanks," Harry quickly answers and Niall nods, going back to reading the paper.

"Do you want to wake Aisling?" Niall suddenly asks and Harry raises his head to look at him.

"Yeah sure," he nods and Niall offers him a smile before going back to his newspaper.

Harry takes that as a hint and stands up, making his way upstairs. He opens Aisling's bedroom door, peeking inside and smiling when he sees she is still asleep, looking peaceful. She is holding her teddy tightly against her chest and she has a small smile on her face.

"Aisling," Harry whispers and crouches next to the bed, gently caressing her arm.

"Aisling it's time to wake up," he says.

"No," she quietly mumbles and Harry smiles shortly, still caressing her arm.

"Aisling," he calls her again and now, she starts fluttering her eyes.

"Hazzy," she sleepily mumbles and raises her hands, obviously wanting Harry to pick her up.

Harry easily lifts her up, holding her tightly and taking a look at her to see if she is still half asleep.

"Shall we go downstairs?" He asks and she nods before resting her head against Harry's shoulder.

"Are you tired?" He gently asks while carrying her downstairs.

"Yes," he hears a small voice mumbling.

"What do you want for breakfast?"

"Hazzy decide," she mumbles and nuzzles against his neck.

"Porridge?" Harry suggests as he enters the kitchen, sitting down and placing her on his lap.

"Yes please," Aisling mumbles and presses her cheek against Harry's chest.

"Should your dad make you some porridge?" Harry asks, looking at Niall and smirking a little.

"Yes please."

Niall shakes his head and pulls out a silly face and Harry replies to it with sticking out his tongue. Niall smiles shortly but gets up, starting to make the porridge for Aisling.

"Guess what Aisling?" Harry asks while Niall is making the porridge for her.

"We're going to learn some numbers today," Harry continues and wraps another arm around the little girl, holding her tightly against his chest. 

"Num-bah," Aisling comments and Harry chuckles a little, thinking the way she pronounces the word is funny but really adorable too.

"Yes, numbers. Do you want to learn them?"

"Yes please."

"Here's your porridge," Niall suddenly says and places a bowl on the table. 

Harry tries to lift her up and place her on the seat next to him but she shrieks a loud 'no' and ends up staying on Harry's lap. She begins to eat rather quickly and Harry chuckles a little, looking at Niall who smiles shortly and shakes his head a bit.

"I should get going," Niall comments and Harry nods, feeling a bit sad that Niall is once again leaving. Sometimes he wishes Niall could stay and they could spend the day together.

"See you in the evening," Harry gently says and keeps looking at Niall who has a smile on his face.

"Darling, I'm going to work now," Niall talks to Aisling.

He bends down a little, wrapping his right arm around Harry's shoulders and hugging Aisling with his left arm. Harry blushes heavily, especially when Niall doesn't let go immediately but places a few kisses on top of Aisling's head and on her forehead.

"Bye darling," Niall says and places one more kiss on her head before standing up. 

"Bye daddy," Aisling mumbles and continues eating.

"Bye Harry," Niall says and gently squeezes Harry's shoulder.

"B-bye," Harry stutters, still trying to process everything that just happened.

  


The morning goes by quickly, Harry is trying to teach Aisling some numbers while they solve puzzles together. Aisling is learning fast, much to Harry's surprise and by the time of lunch, she knows how to count from one to twenty. Her counting isn't the best one possible and she keeps forgetting how to pronounce some of the numbers, but it's still something and Harry feels proud.

"Shall we try counting one more time?" He asks and Aisling immediately nods.

"Let's go to the kitchen," Harry says, having an idea on his mind.

As he enters the kitchen, he looks for some fruits. Niall hasn't done the groceries so there are only oranges left but Harry thinks they will work just fine. He knows Aisling likes oranges and tangerines.

Harry peels an orange, placing the slices on the table, creating a row of twenty. He thinks it's a good way to teach Aisling to count, he is sure it's going to work.

"Alright," Harry says after he is done. Aisling keeps looking at him, her eyes wide and her eyebrows raised. She looks genuinely confused and Harry quickly realises she has no clue what she is supposed to do.

"Remember the numbers I taught?" Harry gently asks.

"Yes," she immediately says.

"Could you go through them again?" He continues asking.

"Yes."

"Okay, count with the oranges alright?"

"Yes please," she nods and takes the first piece of orange.

"One."

She keeps going until she reaches ten and then she turns her head, looking at Harry as if she is waiting for something.

"Do you remember what comes after ten?" He quickly asks and she shrugs her shoulder.

"E," Harry says, trying to help her without giving out too much.

"Elk."

"A bit longer word," Harry gently says.

"Eleh-weh," she briskly tells and Harry is close to bursting out a huge laugh.

"Close enough. What comes next?"

"Twel-weh."

She stops again, frowning and scrunching her nose in a cute way, looking like deep in thought.

"Next ones are easy, the end is all the same," Harry hints out, trying to offer her some help.

"Thir-TEEN!" She shrieks and Harry lets out a small laugh, nodding his head. She doesn't waste any time eating the next orange slice, then easily saying fourteen and eating another one.

"Fife-teen."

"Fifteen, love," Harry decides to correct her.

"Fifteen please. Sixteen," she keeps going and eating her oranges.

"Seh-teen."

"Not quite but close enough."

"Seventeen.

"Yes!"

She finishes eighteen and nineteen, then struggling to remember twenty. Harry hints out it's close to twelve and she finally remembers, giggling loudly when Harry claps his hands.

"Good job Aisling!" He praises her and picks her up, spinning her around and causing her to giggle loudly.

"Great job!" He continues praising and holds her tightly, feeling proud of what the little girl just managed to do.

"Silly Hazzy," she comments and pats his cheek, sticking her tongue out.

"Should silly Hazzy cook some lunch now?"

"Yes please."

"That's what I thought," Harry smiles shortly and puts her down.

  


  


When Niall gets home later that evening, Aisling is waiting him at the door.

"Daddy daddy daddy!" She excitedly shrieks and Niall smiles shortly.

"Calm down my darling," he hushes his daughter who is bouncing up and down in the hallway.

"Aisling!" Harry shouts from somewhere and soon steps into Niall's sight.

"Aisling should you tell daddy what you learned today?" Harry asks, gently patting the little girl's head and smiling at Niall.

"Daddy! Hazzy teach num-bahs," Aisling proudly tells and Niall coos at her.

"Let's hear them," Niall gently says.

Aisling starts counting from the start, hesitating a little when she reaches eleven but ends up counting until twenty. Niall looks at her in disbelief while Harry grins, feeling extremely proud.

"How on earth did you teach her all this in one day?" Niall asks, still in disbelief.

"She learns fast," Harry shrugs his shoulders.

"Harry this is amazing," Niall breaths out before kneeling down.

"And you my little monkey, you are the best," he says in excitement before pulling Aisling into a bear hug.

"I'm so proud of you baby," Niall mumbles as he hugs Aisling tightly. She giggles and pats Niall's side with her small hand.

"Daddy is so silly," she continues giggling.

"No, I'm just proud of you," Niall protests playfully and places a kiss on top of her head.

"Love you daddy," Aisling mumbles.

"I love you too," Niall quickly says and pulls back, gently pinching her cheeks before placing a kiss on the tip of her nose.

Harry keeps watching Niall and Aisling with a wide smile on his face. The sight is heart-melting, seeing how much Niall adores his daughter and how much the little girl loves her father. It's amazing how close they are.

Once Niall stands up, he tilts his head and looks at Harry with a happy expression on his face. Harry smiles back at him, still feeling proud and happy.

"Thank you Harry," Niall thoughtfully says and keeps looking at Harry with his piercing blue eyes.

"It's nothing," Harry shrugs his shoulders.

"Stop underestimating yourself," Niall playfully tells him.

"Yeah yeah. I'll be going now," Harry informs and Niall chuckles a little.

"Hazzy going?" Aisling asks.

"Yes, I'll see you tomorrow Aisling," Harry quickly tells the little girl.

"Buh-bye," Aisling waves at him.

"Harry?" Niall asks and looks at Harry with raised eyebrows.

"Come here," he continues and opens his arms.

Harry hesitates a little but steps closer, letting Niall to pull him into a hug. They hug for a few seconds, Niall whispering 'thank you' and Harry huffing.

"You don't have to thank me," Harry says as they pull away from each others.

Niall doesn't say anything, he just shakes his head a bit but smiles at Harry. He thinks Niall looks happy and he feels proud, just because it's him who made Niall so happy.

"See you tomorrow," Harry gently says before opening the front door and stepping outside.

  


  


Instead of going straight home, Harry drives to the closest book store. He immediately goes to the teaching book section and rums through the shelves, looking for a specific book. He has one of his own but he wants to buy one for Aisling too. It's a kindergarten teaching book and he thinks the book is simply perfect for teaching Aisling.

He only wants to buy Aisling her own copy because the book is full of different exercises and once Aisling learns how to write, she can start doing the exercises herself. Harry grabs the book and keeps looking at other options, ending up getting five different books.

He walks to the cashier, feeling quite proud after he has bought the books. He can't wait to show those books to Aisling tomorrow, he is almost certain she will be excited.

"You're home late," is Liam's first comment after spotting Harry in the hallway.

"Yeah I went to the bookstore," Harry explains before walking to the living room and hopping down on the couch.

"Why are you home? I thought you had work," he questions.

"Changed my shifts," Liam answers.

"Look what I bought for Aisling!" Harry suddenly gets excited and starts going through his shopping bag, pulling out all the books and handing them to Liam.

"Harry," Liam breaths out in disbelief.

"Are you feeling alright? Are you sure you're not going crazy?" He questions and Harry chuckles.

"I couldn't decide so I bought them all," he tries to defend himself.

"Well I think you went too far," Liam chuckles.

"Maybe," Harry mumbles, suddenly feeling a bit ashamed.

Liam is right, he went too far. The books weren't exactly cheap, he ended up spending 110 euros but he is sure it was worth it.

"Are you up for doing groceries?" Liam suddenly asks.

"Don't we have anything left?"

"Not really," Liam grins a little and Harry immediately knows what the look means.

"You and Zayn cleared our fridge. Thanks a lot."

"No problem. So, are you coming or not?"

"I guess," Harry gives in and Liam cheers before ruffling Harry's curls and jumping up from the couch.

"Come on then wifey!" Liam yells from the hallway and Harry smiles shortly.

"You're a moron!" He shouts back before getting up.

  


  


The next morning, Harry is in a rush to get to Niall's. He isn't late, he is just excited to get there and show Aisling the books he bought. He is completely sure Aisling will get excited too and he can't wait to see her reaction once he shows the books to her.

While driving the short distance, Harry sings along the radio. When he stops at a traffic light, he thinks how strange it is that he is constantly happy nowadays. He can't remember the last time he was as happy as he is now, and it's simply because of his new job.

He finally reaches Niall's house and parks his car, quickly hopping outside and walking to Niall's door. He is a bit early but not too much, only 15 minutes.

"Hi Harry," Niall greets him after opening the front door.

"Hi Niall," Harry happily answers and steps inside.

"There's breakfast in the kitchen if you want to eat," Niall informs and Harry quickly nods, smiling widely.

"What's with you today?" Niall questions while they walk to the kitchen.

"It's a great day," Harry sighs and sounds almost like he is daydreaming.

"Hazzy!" Aisling shrieks when she spots Harry.

"Morning Aisling," Harry happily greets her before sitting down on the kitchen table, taking a chair opposite of Aisling.

"Morning morning," Aisling says and continues eating her breakfast.

"Do you want cereal?" Niall asks from Harry who nods, thinking he shouldn't decline Niall's offer since he rarely eats breakfast here but Niall still keeps asking about it every morning.

"Coffee?"

"Thank you," Harry happily thanks Niall.

"So guess what Aisling?" Harry turns his eyes on the little girl who lifts her head up, looking at Harry with her big blue eyes.

"I bought you something," Harry proudly informs and Aisling lets out a giggle.

"W-what?" Niall stutters, taken aback by Harry's words.

"Hold on I'll go get it," Harry says and quickly walks to the hallway where he has left his bag.

He goes back to the kitchen, pulling the books out of the bag and placing them on the table for both Niall and Aisling to see.

"Harry," Niall blurts out in disbelief and looks at Harry with wide eyes.

"What?" Harry asks, feeling a bit confused.

"Those must've cost a fortune!" Niall almost groans.

"It's okay, they are learning books for Aisling," Harry happily tells him.

"All for Aisling?" Aisling suddenly asks and looks at Harry with wide eyes.

"Yes, I'm going to start teaching more things to you with these books," Harry explains and Aisling lets out a high shriek.

"Thank Hazzy!" She keeps shrieking and then giggles loudly.

"You're welcome Aisling," Harry happily says before turning back to Niall who still looks like he has seen a ghost.

"You're not mad, are you?" Harry hesitantly asks, thinking Niall must be mad or not liking what Harry has done.

"This is too much. I'm paying you back," Niall suddenly blurts out.

"No," Harry quickly protests.

"Don't even start," Niall groans and Harry looks a bit ashamed.

"Harry," Niall says with a more gentle tone and Harry lifts his head up, meeting Niall's eyes.

"Thank you," Niall almost whispers before pulling Harry into a quick hug. He yelps a little and doesn't have time to hug Niall back because he is already pulling away.


	11. Chapter 11

It's a typical Tuesday morning, Niall has left for work already and Harry is eating breakfast with Aisling. He listens to Aisling's rambling while drinking his morning coffee, thinking how happy he is that he has such an amazing job.

It's the last week before Christmas break and Harry is starting to get a bit emotional. He's leaving to England on 24th and coming back right after New Year's. Niall's work starts on the second of January so that is when Harry needs to be back in Dublin.

"Hazzy?"

"Yes Aisling?"

"Go to park?"

"Oh no Aisling I don't think we can, it's raining cats and dogs," Harry quickly answers.

The weather outside is horrible, it's pouring and all the snow is melting away with the rain. Harry hates telling Aisling no, knowing how much the little girl enjoys going to the park but they possibly can't go outside in this weather.

"Go tomorrow?"

"Sure, we can go tomorrow," Harry happily tells her, feeling quite relieved she didn't start protesting but offered a nice solution herself.

"Shall we get you changed then?" Harry asks and Aisling nods.

He chuckles when he notices there is porridge all over Aisling's face so he quickly grabs a napkin, wiping her face clean. She keeps squirming around and giggling which makes Harry's job rather hard, but he finally manages to clean her face.

"Make Aisling pretty again?" Aisling asks after they have went to her room.

"Do you remember what I taught you yesterday?" Harry asks while going through her closet, trying to see what she could wear today.

"Make me pretty."

"Good job Aisling! Do you want to choose your clothes?" Harry offers and Aisling happily nods.

Harry's phone starts ringing rather loudly and Aisling giggles, trying to sing along Harry's ringtone but mistaking every word. Harry chuckles, pulling his phone out and seeing it's Niall.

"Hello?" Harry asks and holds his phone between his ear and shoulder as he tries to button Aisling's cardigan.

"Could you do me a huge favour?" He hears Niall bursting out on the other end of the line.

"Yeah?" Harry hesitantly asks.

"My brother's wife needs a babysitter," Niall starts and Harry immediately gulps nervously.

"Alright," he finally says.

"Theo is three months old, he's a lovely boy so I'm sure you can handle it," Niall continues.

"Just until I get home from work," he adds.

"Yeah sure, do I need to go get him?" Harry asks.

"If you could. I'll text you the address."

"Alright."

"Make sure Aisling wears warm clothes, it's cold outside."

"Niall," Harry almost groans and he hears Niall letting out a quiet laugh.

"Sorry, overreacting. Thanks a lot Harry, I owe you one."

"It's okay. Anything I should know about Theo?"

"I'm sure Denise will explain everything and give you his bag and all."

"Alright."

"Thanks Harry, really."

"No problem," Harry tells him even though it might be a bit of a problem. Harry has watched babies before but it's been a while and he feels nervous. He wonders if he still remembers how to burp a baby or how to change a diaper. 

"Aisling," Harry says after finishing the phone call and looks at her. She is sitting on the floor, playing with her doll.

"We are going to pick up your cousin Theo, he'll spend the day with us," he explains and Aisling immediately shrieks.

"Theo!"

"Are you excited to babysit him today?" Harry asks.

"Yes. Theo lovely baby," Aisling nods and Harry grins at how adorable she is.

His phone beeps in his pocket and he quickly pulls it out, checking the message Niall has just sent. It's the address along with two thank you's and one x in the end. Harry texts him back, saying it's not a problem and after a few seconds of thinking, he adds one x at the end.

"Let's go get Theo then," Harry tells Aisling who seems very excited and happy.

  


The drive isn't long, Niall's brother lives only 20 miles away and Harry wonders why Niall has barely mentioned his brother before, seeing as they live close by and Niall works for him.

While they are driving, they listen to Aisling's favourite band Backstreet Boys and Aisling keeps singing loudly from the backseat. Harry has to hold back a laugh as she keeps getting the lyrics wrong and makes up her own words.

Harry can't believe he bought an old Backstreet Boys CD, just so he can put it on when he is taking Aisling somewhere. When Niall found out about the CD, he immediately offered Harry some money and kept insisting Harry shouldn't have paid for the CD. Harry huffs to himself, thinking Niall is always trying to offer money for nothing.

"Aisling, is this the right house?" Harry asks after parking his car. He hopes it is the right house but he decides to ask Aisling, guessing she will recognise the house.

"Yes!"

"Alright let’s get you out then."

Harry helps Aisling out of her car seat and they walk to the door, Aisling holding Harry's pinkie tightly. He rings the doorbell and hears loud footsteps coming from inside.

"Oh thank goodness you're here! You must be Harry," a woman has opened the door and looking like she is a mess.

"Yeah I'm Harry," Harry quickly answers to her.

"I'm Denise, Greg's wife. Please come in."

She lets them inside, quickly hugging Aisling who is still holding Harry's finger.

"I'll get you Theo's stuff first. Niall said I can trust you, I'm really sorry about this and thank you, really you're a life saver," Denise rambles as she quickly walks away and comes back with a bag.

"Here's Theo's bag, there's some diapers, formula and bottles, extra clothing, all that. Oh right you need a car seat too," she then realises and rushes away again.

"You can take this out of the car, he enjoys staying in it so you can just place that on the floor," she explains.

"Do you know how to put that in your car?" She then asks and Harry wonders if she is even breathing at all.

"I'm not sure," Harry answers truthfully.

"I'll come help you, I'll bring Theo too."

She goes to get Theo and Aisling starts to get bored, she keeps tugging Harry's sleeve and telling him it's hot. Harry assures her they are leaving very soon and Aisling seems to calm down. Denise finally comes back with Theo and quickly starts dressing him.

"Okay so make sure to feed him in two hours and then later in the afternoon," Denise starts explaining and Harry pulls out his phone, typing everything down so he won't forget even the smallest details.

She explains how much milk Harry should give Theo and makes sure Harry knows how to mix the formula and warm it up. 

"You know how to change diapers and all that, right?" She asks and Harry quickly tells yes.

"If he starts crying just give him his dummy," she continues and Harry nods.

"Oh and when you change him remember to put some talc before putting a clean diaper on."

"Okay," Harry says.

"Do you also want his perambulator? If the weather gets better you could go outside," Denise asks another question.

"Yeah sure," Harry agrees.

"Let's get going then," Denise says and Aisling immediately shrieks yes three times, clinging onto Harry's leg.

"Aisling," Harry laughs and picks her up, holding her tightly against his side.

"Go home Hazzy," she informs.

"Yes we're going home now," Harry gently tells her and opens the front door, smiling shortly when Aisling pats his cheek and says 'good boy'.

Denise carries Theo and the car seat to Harry's car. Harry first puts Aisling on her car seat and then holds Theo while Denise shows how the put the car seat in and how to take it out. 

"I'll go get the perambulator," Denise informs and walks back to the house. She comes back with carrying Theo's perambulator and together they manage to put those into Harry's trunk.

"You should be fine now, right?" Denise asks after she has taken Theo from Harry and placed him in the car seat. Harry thinks she sounds a bit hesitant.

"Of course. I've watched babies before," Harry quickly reassures and Denise nods.

"Niall said he can bring Theo home so you don't have to do that," Denise informs.

"Alright," Harry tells her and she then says her goodbyes, waving at Aisling and kissing Theo's cheek.

"Thanks again," Denise says.

"It's alright," Harry smiles at her and then says bye, getting inside the car.

"Go home!" Aisling shrieks from the backseat.

"Yes yes," he quickly tells her.

"Hazzy listen BB," Aisling commands when Harry starts driving, and he realises he has forgotten to put the music on.

"Yes of course, I'm sorry," he says and puts the music on.

  


The drive back to Niall's goes by quickly, Theo keeps making baby noises and Aisling is singing along with Backstreet Boys. Harry feels happy, thinking maybe one day this could actually be his everyday life. He could have children of his own. The thought makes him smile and feel warm inside.

Once they reach Niall's house, Harry starts thinking which child to get out of the car first. He quickly decides to help Aisling first and then get Theo and his stuff.

"Alright monkey let's get you out," Harry says as he opens Aisling's seat belt and picks her up.

"Stay there okay?" He wishes as he places Aisling on the ground and goes to the other side of the car, taking Theo's car seat out and then picking up his bag.

Once they get inside, Harry places Theo's car seat on the floor and helps Aisling take off her outerwear. She immediately runs to the living room, shrieking something about puzzles and Harry smiles shortly, picking up the car seat and walking to the living room.

"Hazzy come!" Aisling tries to command him to do a puzzle with her.

"I need to undress Theo first," Harry tells her and she nods, starting to do the puzzle.

Harry takes Theo's outerwear off and thinks about putting him back on the car seat put then decides to hold him since the baby is awake. He thinks the baby should enjoy himself better on Harry's hold than being in the car seat.

Harry sits on the floor, holding Theo who keeps babbling in an adorable way. Soon, the baby seems to get restless and Harry gets up, opening the bag Denise gave him and looking for some toys.

"Do you want to play with Theo?" Harry asks from Aisling who immediately nods.

They play together for a while until Theo starts crying. Harry thinks he shouldn't be hungry just yet and decides to check his diaper. When he notices the diaper is wet, he tells Aisling he is going to change Theo.

"Aisling come with," Aisling comments.

"Sure," Harry gives in.

He gets Theo's bag and they all go to Niall's utility room. Harry knows there's a table there which will work as a good changing table. Aisling watches closely as Harry changes the diaper, doing everything carefully because it's been a while since he has changed diapers.

"All done," Harry says and Aisling giggles.

"Theo baby," she says.

"Yes Theo is a baby," Harry smiles shortly and motions her to exit the room.

"It's not raining anymore," Harry says out loud once he notices the rain has stopped and the weather is looking a bit better.

"Do you want to go outside soon?" He asks from Aisling who nods and tells 'yes please'.

"Are you hungry yet?" Harry asks another question and she shakes her head.

"Shall we go out for a walk and then cook lunch?"

"Yes please," Aisling says and grins happily.

Harry takes a look at the time, thinking he doesn't need to feed Theo for another hour so they aren't in a hurry. He helps Aisling with her outerwear and then dresses Theo. He makes sure to grab his car keys since he needs Theo's perambulator from his car. He also grabs the house keys and puts them into his pocket along with his phone.

"Let's go then," he says to Aisling and opens the front door, letting her go outside.

"Can you wait here?" Harry asks from Aisling who is standing on the sidewalk.

"Yes, silly boy," she huffs.

Harry gets Theo's perambulator from the trunk of his car, struggling with opening the perambulator while holding the baby. Finally, he succeeds and feels proud of himself.

"Go to park?" Aisling asks as they start walking towards the direction where her favourite park is.

"Of course," Harry agrees.

"Hazzy hand?"

"Sure," he says and takes a hold of Aisling's hand while pushing Theo's perambulator with one hand.

  


While they walk, Harry starts thinking about his future again. He wonders what it would be like to be a dad and the thought makes him smile to himself.

Harry has always loved children and he has wished to become a father someday. He has always thought he wants two children, a boy and a girl. Now that he spends so much time around Aisling, his desire to become a father is getting stronger and stronger by each day.

Harry worries he won't find someone he could start a family with. The thought is horrifying but he has already decided if he isn't in a relationship or married by the time he is thirty, he'll just adopt a kid by himself.

"Park!" Aisling shrieks when they reach the park.

"Do you want to swing?" Harry asks.

"Yes please!"

Harry pushes Theo's perambulator towards the swings and puts the locks on, making sure the perambulator will stay on its place while he is giving Aisling some speed. He quickly checks on Theo, smiling when he notices the baby is sleeping.

Aisling swings for a while but she soon gets bored, informing she wants to walk again. Harry picks her up from the swing and they make their way out of the park.

Harry isn't that familiar with Niall's neighbourhood so he thinks they shouldn't walk too far in case he gets lost. They walk towards Niall's house again and pass it by.

"Do you still want to walk or go back home?" Harry asks from Aisling who is holding his hand and walking next to him.

"Walk."

"Alright then."

  


After half a mile, Harry decides to turn back just in case Aisling gets tired. Soon, she starts complaining and Harry feels happy, knowing he made a good decision of turning around, back towards Niall's house.

"Be horsey," Aisling suddenly says and tugs Harry's hand.

He picks her up, finding it hard to push the perambulator while holding a four year old, but somehow he manages to do it. They soon reach Niall's house and Harry decides to get the perambulator inside, feeling too lazy to put it back to his car.

"Hungry," Aisling informs once they step inside and right after that, Theo wakes up and starts crying.

"Theo hungry too," she comments and Harry smiles shortly as he holds the baby, trying to lull him so he would stop crying.

"You're right Aisling," he agrees and she giggles.

Harry finds himself in a hard situation when he tries to feed Theo and cook lunch at the same time. Holding a baby and feeding him while trying to fry chicken isn't the easiest thing to do but despite the struggle, Harry enjoys the situation. He goes back to his earlier thoughts about being a father, thinking he would be a great dad someday.

When Theo finishes his bottle, Harry starts burping him while cooking the chicken and some rice. Aisling informs she is very hungry and he quickly tells her lunch is almost ready.

"There you go," Harry says as he hands over Aisling's plate.

"Thank Hazzy!" She says, grinning happily.

Since Harry made sure to cut the chicken into small pieces, she doesn't need any help and can go straight into eating her lunch. Harry walks to the living room and gets Theo's car seat, going back to the kitchen and placing the baby on the car seat. He begins to swing the car seat in slow pace, trying to lull Theo into sleep. Soon, he notices the baby has fallen asleep and he feels happy, realising Theo seems like a very easy baby.

Now that Theo is asleep, Harry is able to get a plate for himself. His stomach growls loudly and it causes Aisling to giggle.

"Hungry Hazzy," she points out and Harry chuckles.

"I'm very hungry," he tells the little girl.

"Is the food good?" He asks while taking a first fork full.

"Yes. Very good," Aisling praises and grins at Harry.

"It is quite tasty," Harry mostly says to himself.

  


  


The afternoon goes by quickly, while Aisling is napping and Theo is still sleeping peacefully, Harry cleans the kitchen and puts the washer on. He knows he doesn't need to do that but since there is nothing else to do, he thinks there's no harm in washing Niall's laundry.

When he hears Theo crying in the living room, he quickly rushes there and picks the baby up, lulling him and peeking inside his diaper to see if he needs to be changed.

While he changes him and makes sure to put some talc just like Denise asked, he hears Aisling calling his name.

"Hazzy!" She shrieks for the second time.

"In here!" He loudly says and peeks his head outside the utility room, spotting Aisling in the hallway.

"What doing?" She asks, tilting her head.

"I'm just changing Theo. Go play in the living room," Harry tells her and she nods.

Once he is done changing the baby, he makes his way to the living room and sits down on the couch, holding Theo and making sure to support his neck and head. Aisling is playing with some legos, informing she is building a house.

"Pretty house," she comments and looks at Harry with raised eyebrows as if she wants to hear his opinion.

"It's very pretty," Harry quickly tells her.

"Thanks Hazzy!"

"You're very welcome Aisling," he smiles at her, thinking she is being impossibly adorable.

  


  


Later that evening, Harry is sitting on the couch, trying to burp Theo who has just finished drinking his milk. Harry hopes he is doing the burping correctly, he keeps gently patting the baby's back and occasionally doing circle motions.

"Hazzy?" Aisling asks, turning her head towards Harry.

"Can Aisling sit with you?"

"You can come sit next to me," Harry answers and keeps burping Theo.

Aisling climbs on the couch, first sitting next to Harry but then she gets bored and decides to climb on Harry's lap. He sighs but doesn't tell her no, as long as she sits nicely he thinks it's alright for her to be there.

"Theo okay?" Aisling asks and looks at Harry with wide eyes.

"Yes of course, babies need to be burped after they eat or their tummies start to hurt," Harry gently explains.

Aisling stays still for a while but then she gets restless. She lifts Harry's oversized jumper up and hides underneath it, resting against Harry's stomach.

"Aisling what are you doing?" Harry asks after seeing Aisling hiding underneath his jumper.

"I’m baby bang-a-roo!" She loudly shrieks from inside Harry's jumper.

"No shouting love," Harry quickly tells her and pats her back.

"Sorry," he hears coming from inside the jumper.

"It's okay," he quickly assures.

"I’m baby bang-a-roo," he now hears a much more quiet voice.

"Do you mean kangaroo?"

"Bang-a-roo," Aisling protests and Harry chuckles a little.

"Aren't you hot in there?" He asks after Aisling has stayed inside his jumper for quite some time.

"Yes!"

"Well come outside then," Harry tells her.

Aisling's idea of coming back outside is quite different from Harry's. She starts squirming around and soon, puts her hands out from Harry's neckline. Then she stands up properly, wrapping her arms around Harry's neck and finally, pulls her head from the jumper's neckline too.

She manages to bump her head against Harry's cheek during the process and Harry groans a little, wondering what the little girl is doing.

"Aisling come out," she starts to giggle and Harry can't help but to laugh a little.

The whole situation is a bit ridiculous, Harry is trying to burp a baby while Aisling is inside his jumper, her head coming out from Harry's neckline as she hugs Harry, resting her head on Harry's free shoulder.

Harry suddenly hears the front door opening and he frowns a little, knowing Niall has just got home. He starts wondering how he is going to explain the current situation to Niall and thinks Niall will laugh once he sees them.

"Harry?" Niall shouts from the hallway.

"Hold on!" Harry shouts back, doing some quick thinking as he tries to stand up.

"Hold on tight Aisling, alright?" He tells the little girl who tightens her hold around Harry's neck. Harry frees his other arm, holding Aisling up from her bum while he is holding Theo with his other arm.

Harry slowly makes his way to the hallway and once Niall sees him, he bursts out a huge laugh. He keeps laughing for a minute, finally wiping tears off of his cheeks.

"What on earth is going on?" Niall asks and laughs a bit more.

"I eh," Harry awkwardly starts.

"Aisling is baby bang-a-roo!" Aisling informs and turns her head a little, trying to see her father.

"Let me help you," Niall says and walks over, easily picking Theo up from Harry's hold and holding him carefully.

"I was burping him," Harry explains, blushing a little when Niall looks at him with a grin on his face.

"How do you explain that then?" Niall curiously asks, referring to Aisling who is still inside Harry's jumper.

"She is a kangaroo," Harry answers quickly.

Niall lets out another laugh as he walks to the living room, sitting down on the couch and holding Theo against his chest. Harry follows him, still holding Aisling who is resting her head against Harry's neck. He sits down next to Niall and avoids making eye-contact, feeling a bit ashamed of the whole situation.

"Aisling can you please come out there?" Harry asks and caresses Aisling's back.

"Yes please," she informs.

"Okay hold on," Harry tells her and pulls his jumper up a little as Aisling squirms around, finally coming out of Harry's jumper.

"Silly Hazzy!" She informs and rests her head against Harry's chest.

"No Aisling, I think it's you who was silly this time," Harry playfully tells her and strokes her curls.

"You know what Harry," Niall suddenly says.

"Yeah?"

"I don't think I've ever had this much fun coming home from work," he reveals and grins a little.

"Glad I could help," Harry tries to joke even though he still feels a bit ashamed.

"You do, all the time."

A heavy blush rises on Harry's cheeks and when Niall notices it, he has a hard time not to lean in and peck Harry's cheek, simply because he looks so cute.

"Daddy!" Aisling says and pulls Niall back to reality.

"Yes my darling?"

"Hungry!"

"I can cook dinner," Harry quickly offers and looks at Niall, raising his eyebrows.

"It's okay, you don't have to stay," Niall immediately tells him.

"I don't mind," Harry argues.

"Well, you could cook while I take Theo home," Niall carefully offers.

"Sure thing. Come on monkey," Harry points his words to Aisling who giggles and clings onto Harry's neck, making him hold her while he stands up.

"Thanks Harry," Niall says and Harry immediately huffs.

"Stop thanking me for everything," he playfully says before walking to the kitchen and putting Aisling down on a chair.

"I'll be back soon!" He hears Niall yelling from the hallway.

"Do you need any help?" Harry shouts when he realises Niall needs to get Theo, his car seat, bag and the perambulator to his car.

"I'll be fine!" He hears coming from the hallway.

  


Half an hour later, the dinner is almost ready and Harry keeps checking it while Aisling is drawing. Just as he takes the dinner from the oven, he hears the front door opening and knows Niall is back home.

"Dinner is ready!" Harry shouts when he hears the door closing.

"Best way to come back home," Niall jokes as he steps inside the kitchen.

"I made lasagna," Harry informs and motions towards the food.

"Smells good," Niall happily says and grabs a plate, cutting a piece of the lasagna and handing the plate to Aisling.

"I'll get going now," Harry realises.

"You could stay," Niall offers without too much thinking.

"Oh I eh," Harry struggles with his words, taken aback by Niall's offer.

"Stay," Niall simply wishes and Harry ends up nodding, thinking he doesn't want to be rude and just leave if Niall wants him to stay.

They all begin to eat in silence, Harry feeling glad he stayed. He enjoys spending time with both Niall and Aisling, especially because it's rare that they are all together like this. For a moment, he feels like he is a part of this family and the thought makes him happy.

After they are all finished eating, Aisling runs to the living room and Niall follows her. Harry starts putting the dishes away and once Niall comes back to the kitchen, he huffs when he sees what the nanny is doing.

"Stop cleaning around," he playfully scolds Harry. 

"Sorry," Harry blushes heavily and avoids looking at Niall.

"Did everything go alright today?" Niall asks while Harry sits down.

"Yeah, we had fun together," Harry tells him.

"Can I ask you something?" Harry then asks. There is something he wondered earlier and he really wants to find out more about the subject. He is scared because he doesn't know if it's a touchy subject and well, it's not really any of his business.

"Go ahead," Niall says as he puts rest of the dishes into the dishwasher.

"Do you want coffee?" He asks before Harry can ask his question.

"Sure," Harry agrees and then carefully asks the question he has wanted to ask.

"Is everything alright with you and your brother?"

He can see Niall's body stiffening even though his back is on Harry. At that exact moment Harry knows it has to be a touchy subject and he wishes he could take his question back.

"I'm sorry, it's none of my business," Harry quickly says when Niall keeps quiet.

"It's alright. I just, I don't really want to talk about it," Niall sighs, his back still on Harry as he makes coffee for them.

"I'm sorry I asked," Harry apologises again.

"It's fine," Niall gently says as he turns around and takes the seat next to Harry.

They both keep quiet and suddenly, the atmosphere around them feels uncomfortable. Harry doesn't know what to say, he is ashamed of his own question and he wishes he wouldn't be so curious. 

When the coffee is ready, Niall pours them both a cup and they drink their coffees in silence. Harry feels awkward and he tries to finish his coffee as quickly as possible, wanting to leave already.

"Harry," Niall suddenly breaks the silence.

"I'll tell you someday," he simply says and gets up, putting his empty cup on the dishwasher.

Harry doesn't know what to say so he ends up nodding and finishing his cup. He gets up, putting his cup on the dishwasher and thinking it's time for him to leave.

"I'll go now," he mumbles and avoids looking at Niall.

"Thanks for watching Theo."

"Stop thanking me," Harry immediately protests and causes Niall to laugh.

"See you tomorrow," Harry says and Niall nods, following him out of the kitchen.

"Aisling, I'm going now!" Harry yells and chuckles when he hears a shriek coming from the living room.

"Buh-bye monkey Hazzy!"

Harry shakes his head and grins at Niall who is chuckling. They both keep looking at each others for a while until Harry starts blushing and he has to turn his eyes away.

"See you," he awkwardly mumbles and grabs his coat.

"Bye," he hears Niall saying before he opens the front door and steps outside.

Harry takes a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. Nothing even happened and yet, he is all bothered and his heart is beating really fast. It was just an eye-contact with Niall but still, he is a blushing and panting mess. Embarrassing, Harry silently thinks to himself as he walks to his car.

"You're embarrassing," he says out loud after hopping inside his car.


End file.
